Until my body breaks
by jellysunfish
Summary: He had suffered for years since Excellent Era decided they wanted to push him out. And he had persisted out of love. But now that they had abandoned him, he decided that he would dance for himself. Even if he never made it back on stage, he would continue to dance. Dance AU. Eventual Wangye. (summary and title subject to change)
1. I Was Here

The night that he was let off from Excellent Era was a cold and blustery one. As he bid his farewell to Su Mucheng, he insisted that he was fine, that he didn't care, not one bit. But both of them knew that he did care, that he wasn't fine, not one bit fine.

 _Ye Qiu, your style is too outdated. It doesn't fit in with the new image of Excellent Era. We're giving your soloist spot to Sun Xiang._

He didn't want to, but as he struggled against the wind, he couldn't help but think of his struggles with the company that he once called his family, his home.

 _The assistant producer smirked. We don't currently have any solos for you to fill, but you can audition again next season._

The wind was harsh against his face and the cold bit into his shoulders.

 _Do you love dance? He asked this simple question of Sun Xiang. The up and coming dancer was everything Excellent Era wanted, everything he had denied them. It should have been a simple answer. Sun Xiang looked confused and angry._

He took a step forward.

 _I want to dance._

Another step.

 _I want to dance._

The wind was blowing so hard that he could not take even one more step further. So he didn't.

 _Is this the end of the road?_

He didn't know of another company that would take him. Most companies preferred younger and younger dancers. A dancer's prime is late teens to early twenties after all. And while he wasn't even close to the age when most dancers retired, it was well known that he had that condition.

 _I still want to dance._

He had not made it even one block from Excellent Era. It was too hard. He needed to stop and rest somewhere. He looked around the street for a place to huddle for a few hours. On this cold night, even the Mcdonald's was closed. It was like the everyone and their mother had left, along with his heart.

He whispered a wish to any god who might be passing by.

"I want to dance."

And suddenly, a light. From across the street, a sole store window lit up.

He found himself thinking of an old saying he once heard Muqiu say.

 _If you can't go forward, just go sideways!_

The wind seemed to push him along as he crossed the street, heading to this one light in the darkness.

* * *

Chen Guo wasn't sure what propelled her to go downstairs and check the studio. She supposed that she was worried that the windows would shatter under the powerful blasts of wind. The front windows hadn't been replaced since she had inherited the building from her father, and she would rather keep it that way. She inspected the windows and peered out at the whistling wind outside.

To her surprise, she saw someone caught out in the cold, tapping at the door. To be honest, Chen Guo really didn't want to open the door, but she wasn't one to abandon someone in need.

She ushered the dark haired man in, sighing in relief when closing the door to the wintry wind. She inspected this dark haired stranger. He was still shivering from the cold. His thin coat didn't look very warm and it hung off his thin frame. A simple duffel bag hung off his shoulders. His dark hair, though messy and wind blown, looked surprisingly healthy for a man of his age and a shake of his bangs revealed a small M shaped part.

The man didn't notice her staring at him. He was looking to the side, looking at the studio, noticing the shiny lacquered hardwood and the ballet barres of several heights.

"Do you dance?"

The man seemed startled by her question.

"You're looking at the studio. Also your feet are turned out."

The man looked down at his feet, seemingly surprised that his dancer's habit had given him away.

"Yeah, sorry," he answered, "I just- wanted to get out of the cold. I didn't mean to stare." He looked sheepishly down at his feet again. "But I was hoping...?"

"You wanted to use the studios?"

He nodded shyly.

Chen Guo scratched her head bewildered. "Hah, you're kind of crazy for wanting to dance this late at night, but you're free to use them if you like. No use going back outside in this weather." She pointed outdoors where the wind had picked up again, this time with snow. "I'll need to see your ID though."

"I can pay too," he said, rummaging through his duffel bag for his wallet. Chen Guo saw a mess of assorted shoes and dancewear. He gave her a few crumpled bills along with his ID. Chen Guo quickly checked the ID and handed it back to him along with the money. She didn't really need the extra money, as she hadn't been expecting any business today anyway. She gestured to the vending machine down the hall.

"Before you dance, you should at least drink something warm. I'll make a pot of tea. You can buy a granola bar or another snack at the vending machine. The water fountain and changing booths are down the hall."

The man, Ye Xiu, from his ID, nodded. He wandered down the hall to buy a snack and change clothes in one of the changing booths. Chen Guo watched him go. She was slightly worried about this guy. From his physique and natural grace, he looked to be a professional dancer. But why would a dancer be out in the cold in the middle of the night? And for some reason... he looked lonely. She went to go put a kettle on the stove and resolved to make sure this man got back to wherever he was going safely.

* * *

After changing into his sweats and drinking his tea in melancholy thought, Ye Xiu was finally alone in the studio. Happy Dance Studio was small, mostly used for recreational dance classes for children, though there were some classes for young adults and a few catering to older adults. There were only two studio spaces, but each were fitted with sound proofing, and the floors looked to be recently lacquered, judging from the lack of scratches on the hardwood. A box of rosin sat near the entrance.

The space was small but had a familiar warm and welcoming feeling. The atmosphere reminded him of Excellent Era before it became a big company. Back then, he would race to the front door with Su Muqiu and they would eat snacks in the lobby and make silly faces in the mirror during class, trying to cause the other to lose their balance. Back then, he considered Excellent Era his most favorite place. The nostalgia made his heart heavy.

He scrolled through his phone to find a playlist fitting of his mood, finally finding one that he had made a few years ago, titled "Grief and Love." He stretched automatically and tried to warm his cold muscles. When he felt sufficiently stretched, he started the music and began to improv. He moved instinctually to the music as his mind went other places.

 _It's unfair. I only want to dance._

Song after song. Songs filled with sadness and anger and love. He danced out his despair.

 _I loved Excellent Era and yet..._

He moved until his sorrow turned into numb exhaustion, only stopping to sip water.

 _Maybe... I should just give it up._

He didn't realize that he had been dancing for hours until he realized that his playlist was about to end. But as the last song ended and he stopped to catch his breath, another song's opening notes started to play. He closed his eyes to listen as the lyrics began.

 ** _I wanna leave my footprints on the sands of time_**

 ** _Know there was something that meant something_**

 ** _That I left behind_**

 ** _When I leave this world, I'll leave no regrets_**

 ** _Leave something to remember, so they won't forget_**

This song- he had forgotten that he put this song at the end of this playlist. It had been a song that Muqiu had loved. As the chorus began, he felt the music fill his body and the beats reverberate through his chest.

 ** _I was here_**

 ** _I lived, I loved_**

 ** _I was here_**

 ** _I did, I've done_**

 ** _Everything that I wanted and it was more than I thought it would be_**

 ** _I will leave my mark so everyone will know_**

 ** _I was here..._**

He couldn't help but waltz to the powerful words and slowly he felt his determined heart reassemble itself from its shattered pieces.

 _No, I'm not done yet. I can still dance._

He thought of a promise, made sleepily in the darkness of their shared room.

 _Let's dance forever._

Yes, he wasn't outdated. He wasn't going to be compliant anymore. He had suffered for years since Excellent Era decided they wanted to push him out. And he had persisted out of love. But now that they had abandoned him, he decided that he would dance for himself. Even if he never made it back on stage, he would continue to dance.

 _I'm still here Muqiu, watch me. I'm going to dance until my body breaks and there's no one who can stop me._

* * *

A/N: So I've started a dance AU, and I'm hoping that posting it will motivate me to keep working on it? Song used in this chapter is I was Here by Beyonce. Disclaimer: I own neither the song nor TKA.

tbh, I've only done recreational dance, so there may be some things that are factually incorrect. I'm trying my best, but feel free to send corrections.


	2. Kataware Doki

It was nearing midnight and the snow had yet to stop. The last she checked, Ye Xiu was still dancing like a demon possessed, barely even breaking between bouts of improv to sip at his water bottle.

Chen Guo couldn't help but be curious about the man. He danced so beautifully. She couldn't imagine why he had been out in the cold instead of in the dorms of a famous dance company.

As she was thinking this, she heard the door to the studio open and saw the dancer come out covered in sweat. He padded over to greet her again. He looked better now, less lonely.

He bowed to her. "Thank you for letting me use the studio... erm?" He lifted his head apologetically. "Sorry, what was your name again?"

"Chen Guo."

"Yes, Chen Guo. Thanks. And I was dancing for so long too. Sorry."

"It was no problem. The snow hasn't even stopped yet. Besides, you dance so beautifully."

His body went rigid. "You were watching?"

She waved her hand at his panic. "No, no, not really. Just a bit through the window. But I could tell that you're as good as a pro. Do you dance with a company?"

Ye Xiu was quiet for a beat. "I got laid off."

She stood in silent realization. So that's why he looked so sad. "Are you looking for a new place to audition? Why not try for Excellent Era where god Ye Qiu is?"

"It's the middle of the season. There are no auditions at this point in the year."

"You just got laid off today?"

He nodded.

"How... cruel."

Chen Guo felt sympathy for this young man. When she was younger she had wanted to be a dancer too, and she had taken classes at her father's studio all through her school years. She had even auditioned at a few places until she discovered that her talent and drive laid elsewhere in the management side of things. But she remembered how cruel the dance world could be.

"If you... need a job, you could come work here. As a teacher."

It felt slightly weird to suddenly offer a job out of nowhere to a man who was practically a stranger, but she but she saw herself in this young man. She saw how he was heartbroken like she had been when she failed an audition. How he was alone like she had been when her father died.

Ye Xiu looked thoughtful for all of two seconds. "Sure."

"Wait, what?"

He made a face. "I thought you were offering me a job?"

"Yeah, but I didn't think you'd just shamelessly accept!"

He shrugged a pair of lean shoulders. "It's not like I have anything better to do right now. If I teach here I can use the studios, right?"

This guy... he only cares about dancing, doesn't he?

"You do realize that you're way overqualified and I won't be able to pay you that much, right?"

"Better than being unemployed."

"Do you even have an apartment around here?" she laid out accusingly.

"I stayed in the company dorms before I got laid off, so I don't currently have a place to go, but I can find something."

Chen Guo sighed. This guy was useless for anything besides dance.

"I have a storage room you can stay in for now," she offered tiredly.

"Thanks, Boss."

She showed him upstairs and to the old storage room. She had just dusted, so it wasn't too horrible, but it was still quite messy. An old mattress laid in the middle of the room from when she had replaced the one in the bedroom, and she was grateful that she had not yet had the time to throw it away. She ushered him to go take a shower while she went to go find sheets and a blanket.

"Hey boss, what time do you open tomorrow?" Ye Xiu asked nonchalantly, shrugging his bag off onto the floor. He threw his jacket on top of the mattress.

"Classes start at 10 AM for the younger kids and go until 9PM for the older kids."

"So I can use the studio before and after that?"

"Go shower!"

Aiya, this guy was a total dance nut.

* * *

"Okay, little friends, who can show me first position?"

It had been about a month since Ye Xiu had left Excellent Era. He maintained a somewhat regular schedule, teaching the 2-3pm Monday and Wednesday classes for the 5-6 year olds and the 4-6:30pm Tuesday-Thursday classes for the 12-14 year olds.

Chen Guo had wanted him to teach the 15-18 year olds, but he had declined. At a certain point, kids stopped being pure and honest, and though he would love to teach more complex choreo, he didn't think he was ready to face the judgemental stares and petty gossip again. Instead, he used his free time either helping out as a receptionist at the front desk or dancing when the studios were free. Although he had yet to find an apartment, Chen Guo had continued to let him use the storage room and even provided him with meals.

"Mememe!" The children bounced up and down trying to be the one to show him first position.

He loved teaching. Friends had always described him as a natural mentor, and he rather enjoyed being able to spark the love of dance in children. But it wasn't quite the same as being in the professional world. These kids had other dreams.

Little Lanlan wanted to be a doctor. And little Ling wanted to be a veterinarian. Even the older kids all seemed to have far-reaching and admirable dreams. Marine biologist, government official, computer engineer, all wonderful dreams, but none that were in common with his own.

"Wow, everyone, how amazing! How about everyone gets a sticker as a reward?"

"No, Teacher, we want you to dance!"

"Yes, teacher please dance for us!"

"Pleasepleasepleasssseeee!"

The children all crowded around him begging for him to dance. They clung to his legs and gave him their best puppy-dog eyes.

Ye Xiu actually had quite the weakness for small cute things, though he wouldn't dare admit it to Su Mucheng, who would tease him constantly if she knew.

"Are you sure you don't want a sticker?"

"Pleeeaaasseee Teacher! Dance!"

He chuckled at the little drama queens. "Okay, only because you were good and remembered what teacher said."

The children all scrambled to go sit at the front. He connected his phone to the bluetooth and gave it to one of the children to hit play. The children hushed each other to be quiet as he gathered himself to stand in B+ at the center of the room.

"You can start it now."

The song he had chosen was one of the instrumentals from an anime movie he had watched with Mucheng. He always kept an ear out for good movie tracks to use in pieces.

As the first strings began to play, he began with a slow développé arabesque. He lifted his supporting heel to promenade around himself and smoothly transitioned through to ronde de jambe en l'air _._ At the delicate piano notes, he did two piqué passés into a piqué turn.

The children were all holding their breath at this simple routine. The steps themselves were not very hard, but Ye Xiu had beautiful musicality and grace that had both dancers and lay people mesmerized.

Ye Xiu made sure to include in his improv the steps the children were working on. Pliés, relevés, and rond de jambes all worked their way into the short dance. As the song faded, he bowed in reverence.

The children all bounced up excitedly. They rushed toward him, frantically waving their arms and all trying to talk at once. Ye Xiu smiled and let out a soft laugh.

 _This is what I love._

* * *

As the class of six year olds let out to their waiting mothers, Ye Xiu saw an older girl staring at him with intense gaze.

She looked to be twelve or thirteen, with a short bob of red-brown hair. Her long legs were lean with muscle. He judged her as tall for her age, still a little bit awkward growing into her body, but altogether she held herself with her back straight in a dignified manner.

She weaved through the crowd of children to directly face him. "You're different from the other teachers," she stated.

"How so?" He asked, bemusedly.

Her red-brown eyebrows furrowed together. "I'm not sure. There's just... something more."

Chen Guo came out from the upstairs office then with a stack of papers. "Oh good, you've met Tang Rou. She helps out after school sometimes because I'm friends with her father. She's not really a dancer, but she knows enough to help with the younger children. She can be your assistant."

"Oh?" It might be helpful to have an assistant teacher. While the children adored him, children, especially of this age, were high energy. It would also help to have someone up front that the children could watch while he went around and checked positions. "Okay then, pop quiz. Show me first position."

Tang Rou smoothly turned her feet out and brought her heels together.

"What about second through fifth?"

From first, she brought her leg through tendu to the side, briefly landing in second before bringing her leg back in to position her feet in third. Another tendu to the front for fourth, and again bringing it in for fifth.

"Very good." he praised. "How about... Écarté devant on the right?"

A tilted head and puzzled look.

"Haha, maybe that was too hard. Either way, you seem very disciplined and strong. Do you do another sport?" He could tell just from her disposition and physical build that she had been trained for a physical activity before.

The little girl slowly grinned. "I study martial arts."

Ye Xiu shivered. Why did it look like this girl wanted to eat him?

He brushed off his shivers with a slight shrug. "Anyway Boss, now that I'm done, I can use the studios, right?"

Chen Guo sighed and rifled through some papers. "Yeah, yeah. Go dance your heart out. Xiao Tang, you can hold off cleaning for a bit. He's gonna take a while."

"Can I watch?"

Ye Xiu hesitated. It wasn't like Tang Rou could criticize him, especially when he was just practicing and she didn't even have a proper dance foundation. But still, it wasn't like his adverse reaction to people watching would go away just like that. "I- It's fine." He walked into the studio quickly before he could change his mind.

Even while stretching and doing strength exercises, Tang Rou was watching him with an intense stare. Luckily, she didn't say anything, or else he might have felt more restricted. He closed his eyes. She was quiet. He could pretend that she wasn't there while he practiced.

 _Dance like there's nobody watching. It's okay. No one here knows who you are._

When he opened his eyes a while later to check something in the mirror, his gaze traveled to the spot where Tang Rou had been sitting on the floor. He froze mid sequence. She had disappeared.

"You're stopping?"

He whipped his head around. Tang Rou was behind him, in the exact same position as his own.

"What are you doing?"

"Copying you." Her tone was very matter of fact, as if it were obvious.

"But why?"

"Because I want to do what you're doing. This kind of dance is different from ballet."

She demonstrated by repeating the last phrase he had been working on. It was impressive that she could repeat the sequence. But if their dancing could be compared, the difference would be like the difference between a designer dress and a cheap knock-off. Although it was a good imitation, it was still crude, lacking the basic foundation.

"How was that?" She asked him.

Taking into account her age and apparent straightforward personality, he decided to honest, but not disparaging. "These moves are too advanced for you. Though you are flexible and strong, dancing is not solely about lifting your leg the highest or throwing your weight around. Like any other sport, you need to learn the foundations before you attempt movements that may put your body at risk. That being said, it's not impossible for you to learn these things. It just takes a lot of studying and hard work." He added as an afterthought, "Also, I would not recommend getting so close to me when my eyes are closed. You could have gotten hurt."

Tang Rou took his lecture surprisingly well. "I see." She looked thoughtful. Ye Xiu was just glad that she wasn't the type to burst into tears. "What should I study first then?"

His poker face turned into a grin. Another future dancer converted. "Well, I would start by learning the basic positions of ballet that you were unable to do this morning. Ballet is important for training your body and technique. The kind of dance I was doing earlier, Contemporary dance, uses a lot of the techniques from Ballet. You can observe some of the classes I teach and look up videos to learn the positions. Once you feel like you've learnt it, you can come show me."

"Okay." She swiftly swiveled on her heels and exited the studio straight away to watch videos on her laptop. Ye Xiu followed her out. He was almost done with his practice when it had been interrupted anyway. They ran into Chen Guo in the hall.

"Woah, Xiao Tang, where are you going in such a hurry?" Chen Guo was surprised to see Xiao Tang with such enthusiasm. She was a smart girl, such that she was often bored with her schoolwork, and while she had many martial arts trophies, she had never rushed like this for martial arts before.

Tang Rou looked up at Chen Guo with starry eyes. "Auntie Guoguo, do you think I could become a dancer?"

Chen Guo immediately whipped her head around to glare at the perpetrator behind Tang Rou's new interest, who was not so subtly looking in the other direction with a shit-eating grin on his face.

"You better not have infected Tang Rou with your dance obsession, you- you dance nut!" She grabbed his shirt and shook him by the collar.

"I. didn't. do. Aaanything..." He answered, still grinning even as his head lolled.

"Auntie Guoguo, I'm serious. Is it too late to become a dancer?"

"Ai! Xiao Tang, don't you know? Ye Qiu started dancing when he was fourteen. You're thirteen! You can definitely become a dancer if you work hard enough." She was quick to console the child.

"Yup! What she said."

"You-! Can't you say anything original?!" Yes, Chen Guo was quick to console the child, but even quicker to disparage the adult. Ye Xiu couldn't help but feel wronged.

 _But still, this is a much better kind of wronged than before._

* * *

/notes: The song for this chapter is... Kataware Doki by RADWIMPS from the Your Name/Kimi no na wa OST. It's probably my favorite song in the album.

If you're curious about any of the ballet terms, you can look most of them up on Ballethub.  
Or, you know, google. Or just ignore them.


	3. Forever Young

City H. Though it was one of the coldest times of the year in late January, the air temperature was still a good ten degrees warmer than the bitter cold of City B. They walked together down the street, touring the theatre district and browzing the colorful posters and ads, looking for shows and ultimately companies.

The boys were only interested in ballet of course, but since they were in City H, visiting Excellent Era was a must. Excellent Era was famous for doing the unheard of, for transforming a tiny family dance studio into the big name contemporary dance company it was today. Of course, it was also the place where Ye Qiu had debuted and subsequently won best male dancer by Dance Weekly three years in a row, rocketing him, and Excellent Era, to fame.

To be honest, Wang Jiexi had not really kept up with the contemporary part of the dance world. Ballet had alway been kind of insular, frozen in time. But he did check up every so often on Ye Qiu- Ye Xiu's dancing career. Recently, he had been busy with the winter show and the matters with Yifan, so he hadn't been able to check up on his old friend for the past few months. He wondered if Ye Xiu still remembered and checked in on him.

 _The other boy was not the type Wang Jiexi thought would come to a ballet class, even if it was required by the school to take a gym elective. He was smart, sure, but he was lazy and unfit and shameless to a fault. Jiexi half wanted to tell him that he was unsuited for dance, but week after week Ye Xiu would come back with determined and sparkling eyes. He had felt off-put at first. Ye Xiu soaked up dance almost desperately, as if he were dying of thirst. While Jiexi had been dancing for years at a studio outside of school, Ye Xiu, who had been dancing for less than a year for a gym class, progressed at a monstrous speed. It was both admirable and frightening; it made him want to work even harder, lest he be caught lagging behind._

 _He supposed that his perspective changed the day he found Ye Xiu sleeping outside under the trees during lunch. He had been curled up in the shade, gentle breeze blowing through his hair, uniform shirt bunched up such that it showed just the hint of a white belly, sandwich laying uneaten beside him. Ye Xiu's pink lips were moving ever so slightly. He was murmuring something in his sleep. Wang Jiexi bent down to listen._

 _...Jeté, jeté, glissade, pas de chat...zz_

 _Pfft-!_

 _Jiexi had laughed so hard that he had to grip the tree to avoid falling over. Luckily, the dark haired boy had only twitched at the noise, instead of waking. What had once been off-putting soon became bemusing. Since that time, he had found himself looking forward to Ye Xiu's antics during ballet class and watching over his progress._

 _It came as a shock when Ye Xiu suddenly confided in him one day after class._

 _Big-eye, I'm going to become a professional dancer. His amber eyes had flashed gold. My family doesn't approve, but I'm going to do it._

 _Jiexi had been shocked. Did he really think he could do it with only one semester of experience under his belt? He was relatively good for the amount of time he had spent, but their school ballet class only taught the basics._

 _He hadn't voiced his concerns. He could only ask stupidly, How are you going to take classes if your parents don't approve?_

 _I'll find a way._

 _And the next semester, Ye Xiu was gone. Jiexi found he missed watching the other boy. He thought about what Ye Xiu was up to for over a year after that, even after he dropped out of school to be a professional at Tiny Herb Ballet Company. He didn't expect to one day get a flyer in the mail for a performance starring Ye Qiu. He knew that it must have been Ye Xiu -only Ye Xiu would be shameless enough to use his own brother's name as a stage name. On the back of the flyer was a familiar chicken-scratch writing._

 _Don't tell my brother, and I'll get you tickets someday. I told you I could do it._

As the three of them walked into Excellent Era, they saw a crowd of people all gathered around a single person. Yingjie looked to his brother with a gleam in his dark eyes, waiting for Yifan's simple nod, before excitedly rushing forward to see what all the commotion was about. Jiexi and Yifan shared an amused look and followed after him.

"Thank you, to everyone who came out to support me. Unfortunately, I was only stopping by the front, and I need to get back to practice. I hope that you will continue to lend me your support in the future." Su Mucheng, both on and off stage, was full of graceful tact. As she pushed her way through the crowd, her gaze lighted upon Wang Jiexi.

Her eyes widened. "Aren't you Tiny Herb's magician?"

"And you're Ye Qiu's partner, Su Mucheng."

"Are you here to see Ye Qiu?"

He nodded. The boys had darted behind him and were peering out on either side, looking up at Su Mucheng with starstruck adoration. They remembered watching Ye Qiu and Su Mucheng's early duet videos with him online.

She pressed her lips together. "Come with me. We can talk elsewhere."

* * *

Su Mucheng led them through one of the restricted doors into the heart of Excellent Era. Plastering the walls of the entrance hallway were frames upon frames of Excellent Era's accolades over the years, photos and awards covering nearly every surface of the walls. The most recent photos were near the entrance, so each step down the hallway felt like a step back in time.

The photos nearest the entrance were taken in a very stylized manner: harsh angles, use of colored filters, the costumes, the expressions and poses of the dancers. It was the very definition of 'cool'. The boys walked with their eyes glued to the wall, oohing and aahing at the photographs that all seemed to meld together like a giant collage.

The only ones that seemed slightly out of place were the duet photos of Ye Xiu and Su Mucheng. Wang Jiexi couldn't quite put words to what it was about the duet photos that made them stand out from the rest, but while the other photographs seemed flat, these ones popped out in 3D. However, as if to make up for their incredible quality, they seemed to be few and far in between.

As they continued down the hallway, more and more pictures of Ye Xiu came into the array of picture frames. These pictures were less stylized, probably due to the trends and the technology of the time. But unlike the other photos that gave off a cool vibe, these pictures made his heart stir. Ye Xiu in the middle of a turn, Ye Xiu reaching toward the camera, Ye Xiu with his lithe back in an arch, the hint of a smile coming through under the shadow of his delicate silver mask. Wang Jiexi rubbed and blinked his uneven eyes. Was it his imagination, or did this photo capture the glint of gold in his eyes under the mask?

Yifan came up next to him looking at the life sized photo of Ye Xiu.

"He's beautiful," he breathed.

Mucheng smiled tenderly from her place leaning against the wall, tucking a tendril of blond hair behind her ear. "That one was taken by my late brother around 7 years ago. Right before Excellent Era had its grand opening as a company."

"I'm sorry to hear about your brother." Jiexi knew all too well the pain of losing someone close to him.

"Don't be. It was a long time ago." She brushed her fingertips along the photo frame, making a trail in the dust that had gathered there. "So you wanted to see Ye Qiu?"

Jiexi nodded. "We were in the area looking for a new academy and we wanted to see a show while we were here. We're here for three weeks, so it doesn't have to be soon. I knew Ye X-Qiu back in high school. If you mention my name to him, he owes me tickets."

Mucheng didn't miss the slip up. So they were friends in high school, huh? So Ye Xiu might forgive her if she told him his circumstances, right? He clearly didn't know that Ye Xiu had already left.

She hardened her face and resolved to do it. If this could give her adoptive brother even one more ally, she wouldn't hesitate. "Ye Xiu no longer dances here."

"What?" Did she just say Ye Xiu wasn't dancing anymore?

"He was fired."

"Fired?" He was flabbergasted. Who would fire their best dancer?

"Well, not fired per se, but he might as well have been fired. His soloist position was taken away and the group dances... well they haven't been very good for a long time. The other dancers resent him."

Looking back, it was true that lately Excellent Era's group dances were a bit... all over the place. But he never wanted to think it was Ye Xiu's fault. It wasn't like Ye Xiu to make amateurish mistakes like that, right? Su Mucheng's words got him thinking. Was it truly nerves like the rumors said, or was there more going on?

Su Mucheng continued sadly, tracing more lines in the dusty photo frame. "So he left. There wasn't a place for him anymore. The only reason why I'm still part of the group is that they only see me as Ye Xiu's partner. They think that just by giving me a new partner that everything will be fine."

They were replacing Ye Xiu? With some rando?

"Where did he go?" Yingjie's boyish voice floated up from beside Yifan. He was clenching his brother's hand tightly. Yifan was turned away with a glazed look at the portrait of Ye Xiu, but his free hand was trembling.

Su Mucheng smiled at the two young boys. "Don't worry too much about it." She patted them on the head. "He's still dancing. And not as far away as you might think. That being said, I can't get you tickets to see him because he's not dancing at a company right now. It's been good for him to take a break from performing."

Wang Jiexi's mind was whirring. Ye Xiu's condition had not gone down, that much was clear from his solos. So the reason why he had left was because he was pushed out by the people who were supposed to be his friends?

"That... is not right," he said with a low tone. He couldn't help but voice his opinion. To his friend, to his own son. Why was it that people could be so cruel?

Mucheng smiled. "I'm glad you think so too."

"What about you, Miss Su? It's hard to dance with someone new isn't it? Won't that affect your dancing as well?" Yingjie was considerate of everyone, not unlike his late mother.

"Hey now, don't underestimate a professional dancer." She ruffled Yingjie's hair until it was a fluffy mess, causing him to groan. "This big sister has a lot going for her. It would just be better if my new partner wasn't such an arrogant little prick."

"W-who is it?" Yifan asked with a quiet voice, smoothing down some of his brother's brown locks.

"Sun Xiang. He's a rising star in the contemporary world with an ego to match."

"Get us tickets. I want to judge this person for myself."

Mucheng was slightly thrown off by Wang Jiexi's sudden request. "Um, sure. I can get you tickets for this weekend. Is that good?"

"That is fine. Will you be dancing with this 'Sun Xiang'?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

"My condolences."

They exchanged phone numbers and QQ accounts to work out the details of getting tickets for Excellent Era's performance. Su Mucheng reluctantly left them in the hallway. She needed to get back to practice, so they showed themselves out.

Walking back toward the entrance, moving forward through time back to the present, the hall seemed a lot more sinister than it had earlier. As the pictures of Ye Xiu again faded to the few and far in between, Wang Jiexi wondered just how long this had been going on. Ye Xiu's case of stage fright had supposedly gotten worse over the years. How much of this was the truth and how much of it was fabricated or made worse by others? Even though it was too late to save Ye Xiu's career at Excellent Era, he resolved to investigate further.

 _This is your failure. If you had been a better father, a better friend, maybe this wouldn't have happened. Helping them is your atonement._

* * *

Mucheng touched up her hair in the backstage dressing room. She gave a stubborn wisp a little twist and slid a bobby pin across and up, securing it to her head. She gave it one last spritz of hairspray for good luck and then went to go find Sun Xiang.

Her stomach churned with dread. She didn't want to do this dance. This was an attack. An attack on her and Ye Xiu's partnership, and their tribute. A reminder that she should be a good little doll, because without Ye Xiu, she was powerless.

 _Su Mucheng. For this show, you will be performing a duet with Sun Xiang._

 _She had been shocked. She had protested. So soon? You can't just form a partnership in a month! Besides just learning choreography, we also have to work on our coordination and expression and practice lifts and..._

 _We're making this easy on you. The Boss wants you to recreate Forever Young with Sun Xiang. It's a fitting piece for Excellent Era's anniversary performance, don't you think? You should still remember the choreography, right? This way you can concentrate on your dancing with Sun Xiang._

 _She stood there dumbstruck for a moment before her hands clenched into fists and began to tremble. How dare they! They knew. They knew the meaning of this piece to her. It had been the first duet she had ever done with Ye Xiu. Forever Young was their dance. Their tribute to Muqiu and all the other dancers who had to leave Excellent Era._

 _I will not dance this piece with Sun Xiang. I respectfully refuse. She spoke slowly with a level voice, trying not to betray the utter rage in her heart._

 _You cannot refuse. It's in your contract. The assistant producer smiled cruelly. As if to further mock her, he added, in exchange, we'll let you pick and choreograph a solo for the following show._

 _They knew that solos weren't her strong point. Unlike how Ye Qiu was well known for his striking and hauntingly beautiful solos, she was most known for her performance in their duets, in how she synergized with others to bring out their best qualities. The company naturally capitalized on this and had her perform in duets or small groups, so she didn't have much professional experience performing solos. It was an unfair trade._

Mucheng gave a bitter smile as she peeked out into the crowd that was waiting for her and Sun Xiang to perform. Early in her career, she would have been energized by their restless movements, their excitement, but today she just felt butterflies in her stomach.

In practicing the choreography by herself, if she closed her eyes, she could almost pretend that she was 18 again. That she was dancing together with Ye Xiu with their bodies and hearts full of love and remembrance. But when she opened her eyes and saw the long blond mop of hair, she was reminded that things were different now.

Sun Xiang's attitude when practicing didn't help one bit.

"Do you think Ye Qiu would be able to jump this high?"

"The audience is going to scream my name for this."

"I'll be the one to bring Excellent Era to the top once more."

He was such a stark difference from the considerate Ye Xiu, who would discuss with her how to coordinate the portrayal of an emotion, who would offer honest criticisms as he saw them, who would actually f*cking pay attention to the person he was supposed to be dancing with.

Sun Xiang looked at her with that infuriatingly arrogant grin of his as the lights dimmed after the previous number. She nodded curtly. They both ran to their starting positions in the blackout.

She started on the floor, facing away from Sun Xiang. He stood on the opposite end of the stage with his back to her. As the song started ( _Her song. Their song._ ), she was suddenly hit by the familiarity of everything. The lights, the rustles of the audience, the costumes and positions, and she felt a sudden homesickness. Mucheng let her eyes drift close and let herself remember for one more second. Then she blinked them wide open.

She let Sun Xiang guide her because she had no other choice. She put her trust in him reluctantly because she was a professional and couldn't afford to get caught up in reminiscence. She tried her best to ignore her misgivings and dance her best, because that was the very least she could do for those who this dance was dedicated to.

For her brother, who would remain forever 18.

For her other brother, not related by blood but in heart and spirit, who only wanted to dance for as long as his body allowed.

For the old Excellent Era, who supported her when she was at the lowest point in her life.

Sun Xiang didn't know the emotions that went into this dance. But she did. She would hold onto these feelings secretly in her heart.

In the end, she put the most trust in herself and the music.

 _ **Let's dance in style, let's dance for a while**_

 _ **Heaven can wait, we're only watching the skies**_

 _ **Hoping for the best but expecting the worse**_

 _ **Are you gonna drop the bomb or not?**_

She rolled up off the tops of her feet, coming off the floor and turning to face Sun Xiang. They mirrored each other, one taller and one shorter, moving together as one.

 _ **Let us die young or let us live forever**_

 _ **We don't have the power but we never say never**_

 _ **Sitting in a sandpit, life is a short trip**_

 _ **The music's for the sad man**_

She eyed Sun Xiang from the corner of her eye.

 _We fell out of sync. I knew one month was still too short. I still have trouble adjusting to his timings. But I can't stop here. I need to be better._

 _ **Can you imagine when this race is won?**_

 _ **Turn our golden faces into the sun**_

 _ **Praising our leaders, we're getting in tune**_

 _ **The music's played by the, the madman**_

And here came the first lift. She threw herself at Sun Xiang without thinking of anything, because she couldn't allow herself to think of what would happen if he didn't catch her.

 _ **Forever young**_

 _ **I want to be forever young**_

 _ **Do you really want to live forever?**_

 _ **Forever, and ever**_

 _ **Forever young**_

 _ **I want to be forever young**_

 _ **Do you really want to live forever?**_

 _ **Forever Young**_

Again and again, she kept noticing little things that set him apart from Ye Xiu, a flicked wrist, the tilt of a head, the line of his body, but she continued to push them away until finally the song was over.

They stood on the stage in their ending poses as the song faded into silence. For a brief moment, all she could hear was the pounding of her heart and her heavy breathing before the audience erupted into thunderous applause.

She came out of her pose to curtsey, and then brought a delicate arm out to the side to dedicate the applause to her 'partner'. The person in question had the most disgustingly self-satisfied smirk on his face that she had ever seen someone wear. He bowed in reverence, and then raised his arms up high, waving to the audience. They applauded even louder, amid shouts of "bravo!" and "brilliant!"

 _These people didn't get it. They can't see what goes on behind the curtains._

Mucheng was tired of it. She was tired of being helpless. She wanted to just scream out in the middle of the stage and let everyone know of all the wrongs in this performance.

 _Perhaps I too have been a victim of the Ye Qiu Effect, simply content to be the partner. I rely too much on him, such that I can't support him in his time of need. Such that he is unable to rely on me._

She walked offstage tiredly, leaving Sun Xiang behind to bask in the limelight.

"Su Mucheng! _Great_ performance with Sun Xiang! I think that was _even better_ than your performance with Ye Qiu." Cui Li greeted her in the wings with false enthusiasm, voice dripping with mocking disdain.

She felt the frustration flare up in her mind, but was careful not to show it on her face. Why did everything in this company have to be a power play?

Then suddenly, a lightning bolt flashed.

 _Oh._

"Assistant Producer," she smiled sweetly, "I'm going to take you up on your offer. Next show, I will be choreographing a solo to a song of my choice. I will let you know prior to the performance what it will be. That is all."

She ignored Cui Li's gaping fish mouth and hurried off to the dressing room to change before greeting Wang Jiexi and his children.

Two could play at this game. The cogs were already moving in her mind. She had a solo to choreograph.

* * *

/Notes: Song this time is Forever Young by Alphaville. I recommend covers by LYON or Ella, though there are also the One direction and several different pretty piano covers :)


	4. Let's Hurt Tonight

"Woah! Did you see that jump! It was so high!" Yingjie tugged on his brother's arm.

Su Mucheng had gotten them the best seats in the theater, right in the center at the front of the balcony. Wang Jiexi felt a little guilty for asking, and offered to pay her back as soon as he saw the text with the ticketing details, but she had insisted.

"It's the least I can do after you came all this way."

It was true that Su Mucheng and Sun Xiang's duet was excellent technically speaking. But he saw it for was it really was. A cheap marketing ploy aimed at replacing the Ye Qiu lingering in their hearts. Sun Xiang's jumps were higher, and his movements more controlled than Ye Xiu's had been five years ago, but it lacked the organic movement and the chemistry between dancers that was so important in a piece that was supposed to be emotionally raw and vulnerable.

As the song faded, members of the audience began to stand up to give a standing ovation. Yingjie and Yifan eyed him when he didn't stand up right away, and followed suit, clapping, but still sitting. He finally stood after a few seconds, aware of how others had started to notice them and whisper. He wouldn't subject his kids to that kind of attention again.

Unfortunately, it seemed that his hesitation had already caught the attention of a reporter who had been sitting in the second row on the balcony. He tapped Jiexi on the shoulder as he was preparing to leave the theatre.

"Wang Jiexi! It is Wang Jiexi, isn't it?"

He turned around. It was Cao Guangchen, a reporter from Dance Weekly magazine. He was well known for writing articles about Excellent Era and particularly about Ye Qiu.

"Hi! I'm Cao Guangchen from Dance Weekly. How did you enjoy the performance? Could I get a few words from you for my next article?"

He glanced to Yifan and Yingjie. They were whispering excitedly to each other, so starstruck to see that he was being interviewed for a dance magazine. He sighed. "I can make time for one or two comments, but we really should be going soon."

"Great!" The reporter opened up his notebook to where he had written extensive notes about Excellent Era's host of pieces this show. "I'd first like to ask, what were your impressions of the last piece, of the recreation of Forever Young, by Sun Xiang and Su Mucheng?"

"They are both very talented dancers. Su Mucheng did very well for only having a short time to adjust to a new partner. She is an amazing dancer and I admire her dedication and hard work. Her technique has greatly improved since her early days, and I look forward to seeing her in the future."

"You talked a lot about Su Mucheng. How about Sun Xiang then?"

"...He was good too." He gestured to the children to follow and began to exit the theater.

"Wait up!" Cao Guangcheng ran to catch up with him. "How do you think Sun Xiang performed in comparison to Ye Qiu?"

Wang Jiexi stopped cold in his tracks, almost causing the reporter to bump into him.

"In my mind, Ye Qiu remains one of the very few dancers who has the ability to move my heart solely through his dance. If Sun Xiang wishes to work to become like Ye Qiu, then I wish him the best of luck. Now if you'll excuse us, we have to go." He extricated himself and took the boys by the hand, leaving Cao Guangcheng standing in the doorway to the theatre.

Cao Guangcheng stood in the middle of the hall for a minute, then began furiously scribbling in his notebook, taking down the observations and feelings of his impromptu interview with Tiny Herb's famous magician.

* * *

They greeted Su Mucheng at the back entrance of the theatre.

"Miss Su! You were incredible!" Yingjie gushed in rare enthusiasm. He was only this way for family and dance.

Yifan nodded in agreement. "It was a beautiful dance."

Su Mucheng squealed and drew the both of them into a huge bear hug. "Awww! You kids are so adorable. Wang Jiexi, I'm too jealous."

Jiexi let out a chuckle. "Yes, they can be quite amusing at times."

The boys shot him twin looks of betrayal from within Su Mucheng's arms.

"Are you boys hungry? Let big sister treat you to ice cream at McDonald's, okay?"

""En!""

They came out of the back alley into the brightly lit street. It was rather late at night, and yet the streets were just as busy, if not busier than it had been in the day time. Theatre-goers in their elegant gowns and suits came out of Excellent Era, sometimes taking pictures of the bright red neon signs, or heading off arm in arm to fancy restaurants and bars or even other shows. There was truly a lot of things to do in the lively theatre district of City H.

Yingjie and Yifan clung to either side of their father's arms, such that they could look around at the nightlife without worry of losing each other or bumping into things.

They had reached the entrance to McDonald's when Yingjie pulled on Yifan's sleeve. "Look at that place over there. It's already this late, but the light is still on. Do you think it's still open now?"

"...Happy... Dance Studio?"

"If it's really still open, we should check it out! Please Dad?" Yingjie looked up at Jiexi with pleading eyes. Jiexi paused, noting how Yifan's eyes were caught staring at the bright lettering adorning the front, mouth silently making the shapes of the words.

"Only if there's really somebody there. It could be that the lights are still on to discourage break-ins."

"Miss Su," Yingjie asked for Yifan, "Is it okay if we hold on the ice cream while we go look?"

"Oho? Happy Dance Studio? I'll come with you, if you don't mind."

Happy... the word felt unfamiliar in his mouth, but somehow it gave him a warm feeling, even though he had no way of telling whether the place inside truly lived up to its name.

 _Is there truly a place where it could feel so warm? When was the last time I felt happy dancing?_

* * *

Surprisingly, the door to Happy Dance Studio was unlocked. In the lobby at the desk, a woman with a long brown ponytail was working on some paperwork.

"I'm sorry, but we're closed right now. The door is unlocked because I just ran out to get dinner," she said. She finished her document with an elegant flourish of a signature and finally looked up to her visitors.

"W-Wang Jiexi?! The famous dancer?!"

Su Mucheng popped out from behind him. "And me!"

"S-S-S-Su Mucheng!" Chen Guo became a stuttering mess when faced with the dancer that she admired the most. She had watched Su Mucheng's performances since she had debuted, had watched her grow from a lanky young teenager with a lost look in her eyes into a beautiful young dancer full of grace and elegance and determination. Watching Su Mucheng and Ye Qiu dance out their bodies and souls had inspired her to keep the studio running in times when she had felt lonely and discouraged. In truth, one of the reasons why she had chosen to keep the location of Happy here instead of moving to a more favorable location was because of its proximity to Excellent Era.

"I apologize for coming in so late. My kids here were just very curious about your studio. Do you mind if we take a quick look around?"

"Not at all!" Chen Guo was happy to let them do anything that would allow them to stay a little longer. "I'm Chen Guo, the owner. Would you mind if I get your autographs on one of our barres?"

After a quick signing with silver sharpie, they were allowed to tour the facility. Chen Guo followed after them like a puppy, alternatingly sighing over Su Mucheng and Wang Jiexi and the cuteness of the twins exploring together hand in hand.

Compared to the academy at Tiny Herb, Happy was quite small. There seemed to be only two studio spaces as compared to Tiny Herb's many practice areas and spacious classrooms. The floors were hardwood instead of marley. And the lights were a warm yellow instead of the bright white Yifan was used to. Out in the hallway was a vending machine with a variety of healthy snacks, as well as a water fountain, and in a little alcove in the wall, the bathrooms and changing area.

Yifan went up to the water fountain. It was only the push kind; it didn't have a bottle filler like the one at Tiny Herb. He pushed the button experimentally. The water spouted out in a short arc. At least it was a good enough angle to fill a water bottle.

He didn't quite know what it was that he was looking for. He wasn't really interested in a studio like this. He wanted to do ballet.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spied a blur of movement through the window on the door to the second studio space. Was there someone in there?

He peered through the glass. Yingjie came up next to him to peer through the window too. They couldn't both fit in the narrow window, so he opened the door a smidge to gain better access.

The sound of guitar wafted out into the hallway.

 _ **When, when we came home**_

 _ **Worn to the bones**_

 _ **I told myself, "this could get rough"**_

 _ **And when, when I was off,**_

 _ **Which happened a lot**_

 _ **You came to me**_

 _ **And said, "that's enough"**_

 _ **Oh, I know that this love is pain**_

 _ **But we can't cut it from out these veins, no**_

 _ **So I'll hit the lights and you lock the doors**_

 _ **We ain't leaving this room 'til we bust the mold**_

 _ **Don't walk away, don't roll your eyes**_

 _ **They say love is pain, well darling, let's hurt tonight**_

 _Even though the music is so sad, why does he look so in love?_

Every movement that this man made was beautiful. Each leap, each kick, it looked like he was weightless. He turned in time with the music and extended and contracted with the rhythm. It caught his breath and made his heart beat.

 _I wonder if I could ever dance like that..._

When the song ended, Yifan couldn't help but pull the door open wider, trying to gain a clear glance of the face of this beautiful dancer.

The door squeaked on its hinges. The dancer went very still. He turned his head.

 _A child? No, two children?_

He relaxed slightly. "Er... Are you two lost?"

Su Mucheng popped her head in. "Oh, Ye Xiu, this is where you were." She came over to greet the dark haired dancer.

He patted her head in confusion. "Mucheng? Wasn't there a performance today?"

Wang Jiexi followed behind her. "Ye... Xiu? I thought Excellent Era..?"

"Big-eyed Wang?" He looked surprised to see the other man. "Uh, long time no see, I guess."

Yifan and Yingjie looked at each other with wide eyes. ""Big...eyed...?""

"What are you doing here in City H?" Ye Xiu noted how Wang Jiexi came to stand by Mucheng and how the two children scooted themselves next to them. One of them had the same color hair as his friend. "Wait...," he glanced at Mucheng and noted their body language. Mucheng and his high school friend looked comfortable together, not at all like two people who had just met coincidentally. He wedged himself between the two of them and threw his arms out protectively. "You may be my high school friend and a great dancer, but you can't have her! Mucheng is too young to be a mother!"

"What?" Wang Jiexi's green eyes widened.

The pieces clicked together. "Wait, that means this dancer is Ye Qiu?" Yifan blurted out.

"You're Ye QIU?!" Chen Guo stood in the doorway, jaws dropped.

Su Mucheng let out a laugh and pushed herself out from behind Ye Xiu's protective stance. "Well, this is quite a debacle."

* * *

/AN: Song this chapter is Let's Hurt Tonight by OneRepublic. Beautiful song about going through tough times together. For this Ye Xiu, dance is pain, both physically and emotionally, but dance is also love. Leave me a comment if you liked the chapter!


	5. Sweet Child o' Mine

"Silly Ye Xiu. Wang Jiexi's not asking for my hand. We met a few days ago. He was trying to see you, in fact." Su Mucheng patted her brother's back. "He said you owed him tickets to see you, but of course, you had already left."

"Oh. Thank goodness." Ye Xiu lowered his arms and let out a breath of relief. "Muqiu would haunt me forever if I let his precious younger sister just get married off." He side-eyed Wang Jiexi and the children. "Speaking of which, Big-eye, I didn't know you were the type to fool around."

"I'm not." Wang Jiexi had on a straight face. He had forgotten how blunt Ye Xiu's personality could be. He sighed. "It's kind of a long story."

"Well, it's late, so maybe let's sort this out in the morning. Coffee tomorrow morning at the McDonald's sound good?" Su Mucheng offered. She was good at dealing with men, and especially Ye Xiu.

The two men met eyes and nodded.

She clapped her hands together. "Okay then, good night everyone. " She turned to Chen Guo in the doorway and nodded briefly. "Thank you very much for letting us visit, Ms. Chen Guo." She wrapped her arms around Ye Xiu and gave him a peck on the cheek. "Explain to your boss," she whispered in his ear.

Su Mucheng ushered Wang Jiexi and the two boys out amid promises of ice cream. The darker haired boy kept looking over his shoulder even as he was led out.

Ye Xiu was left with a strangely silent Chen Guo.

The older woman was looking in the mirror with a blank look on her face.

 _He can't be Ye Qiu, can he? His ID says Ye Xiu. And he said he was laid off his last job. Ye Qiu has stopped dancing for personal reasons. And- and he makes a mess when he slurps his cup noodles, and he makes Xiao Tang clean up after him! He's much too shameless to be Ye Qiu!_

She studied the man whom she had picked up off the streets in the middle of a snowstorm.

 _But the way he dances- and how he freezes up when someone approaches..._

"You can't be Ye Qiu." She didn't want to believe that this man could be Ye Qiu, whom she had admired for many years.

He gave her a helpless look. "I don't know how to explain to you if you refuse to believe me."

"Your name is Ye Xiu."

"And the name I go by onstage is Ye Qiu."

"You weren't even sad when they announced Ye Qiu retired."

"I _was_ sad. That was my life's work."

 _It had been soon after she met Ye Xiu that she heard that Ye Qiu had left Excellent Era._

 _It is with sadness and regret that we must say goodbye to one of the founding members of this company, Ye Qiu. He has danced with Excellent Era for ten years and we are truly grateful for all he has done for the company. He left suddenly for personal reasons and it is currently unknown when or whether he will return. We wish him the best of fortune in his future and we will continue to carry on his dream of making Excellent Era the best it can possibly be. With that in mind, we would like to welcome Sun Xiang to our dance family to help make Excellent Era a shining star for our dear friend's dream. Thank you, Ye Qiu. Your friends and fans at Excellent Era will miss you._

 _Ye Xiu, when he had seen the blurb, had only given a sardonic smile. She had hit him through her tears. Can't you be more sad?! This is God Ye Qiu! I can't believe that- that I'll never be able to see him dance again! And she had broken into another round of sobs anew._

 _I am sad, he had protested. It hurts on the inside. But it's not like Ye Qiu is dead. He may still be dancing._

 _The dancer had patted her on the back and had paused for a second._

 _He's lucky to have a fan like you._

Chen Guo thought back to how easily he had interacted with Su Mucheng, but she was still reluctant to believe that Ye Qiu could have possibly ended up at Happy of all places.

"If you're Ye Qiu, then why did you leave?"

"...That's a longer story." He sat down on the floor by the mirror and drew his legs into his chest. He avoided her gaze by brushing off the dirt that had accumulated on his bare feet. She sat down next to him. She was silent as she waited for him to speak.

"Excellent Era... used to be a small studio like this. We were all so close to each other, and it was fun, dancing with each other every day. When it started to expand, to become the company that it is today, it became a lot harder to make everyone happy. People started to form cliques, and become jealous of me for being at the center of everything. And it became harder and harder to dance freely. You probably know how toxic the dance world can be, right?"

She nodded, then realized he was still looking at his feet. "Yeah, I do."

"I felt... like I was choking. I was no longer welcome. So when they took away my position, I left."

By that time, there was a small pile of dirt and skin on the floor. Chen Guo would probably have to clean it up tomorrow. The dancer's feet were clean now, so he stretched out his legs and began to work through his feet, alternatingly flexing and pointing them.

"It's hard sometimes to go outside and see the building there. Because I can still see where it all began. But I like it here. The children are nice. And I can still dance."

"But why didn't you ever tell me?"

"What would you have done if I had?"

If she had known he was Ye Qiu... she would have tried to watch- oh.

She watched him bend over his legs, showing off his dancer's flexibility, and thought back to that night in the snowstorm when a lonely man had danced his very heart away. She slowly stood up, and offered a hand to Ye Xiu. "I guess you could be Ye Qiu. Even if you are a shameless, dance-obsessed slob."

He took her hand. "As long as I can dance, and now teach, that's enough." He stood up and stretched his arms high above his head. "I'm sweaty. I'm going to take a shower, then head to bed."

Chen Guo suddenly coughed violently.

"Are you okay? What's wrong?"

She gazed at him with a pale face, looking like she might start to cry. "I made God Ye Qiu sleep in... in the storage room!"

He sweatdropped. "It's fine, it's fine," he said carelessly. "I didn't have anywhere else to go. I'm forever in your debt, Boss."

She waved him off to take a shower, still muttering to herself, "God Ye, in the storage room! Oh god..."

* * *

He left for the McDonald's early the next morning.

"Bring me back a hot coffee!" Chen Guo shouted as he left.

"Get it yourself!"

"You- shameless! What happened to being 'forever in your debt'?!"

He crossed the street to the McDonald's and found Su Mucheng, Wang Jiexi, and the two boys already there. They stood in line for coffee and breakfast and then found a comfortable booth near the back to talk.

Wang Jiexi frowned at Ye Xiu's singular coffee. "You're not getting food with that?"

"Mm, I don't usually eat much in the mornings, " he shrugged.

Wang Jiexi turned to the children and handed the darker haired one a crisp bill from his wallet. "You two, go up and buy him something to eat. Something healthy."

The boys nodded eagerly, happy to be entrusted with this mission. They took off to stand in line again, side by side.

Su Mucheng sighed at the cuteness. "They're twins right?"

Ye Xiu's ears perked up. "Twins?"

Wang Jiexi took a sip from his coffee and nodded. "Yifan, the darker haired one, is the elder. Yingjie is the younger."

"When did you have time to father kids? How old are they even? You would have had to been in high school at least. And I didn't think you were the type to screw around. You had absolutely no social life."

Wang Jiexi sighed. Had it really been so long since he last endured Ye Xiu's insufferable ability to tick people off? "They're ten. And not really mine. They're my older sister's kids. I adopted them when she and her husband were killed in an accident a few years ago."

Ye Xiu immediately sombered. "I shouldn't have teased you. I'm sorry."

Wang Jiexi looked down at his drink. "It's okay. You couldn't've known."

Su Mucheng laid her hand gently over Wang Jiexi's. After the past week of communicating with him and now finding out this shared commonality between them, she felt like she had a connection with the magician. "It must have been hard, right? Grieving, while raising two kids and performing at the same time."

"It was. But, I owed it to my sister and our parents." He nibbled at his breakfast muffin. "But enough about me. How about you, Ye Xiu? Su Mucheng told me that you left Excellent Era. Why were you at Happy Dance Studio?"

"I did leave. I teach at Happy now."

 _So when Su Mucheng said 'not as far away as you might think' she meant across the street? And he's a teacher now?_

"You really teach?" Wang Jiexi was surprised. Maybe his stagefright was only for adults?

"Hey! I'm a great teacher," Ye Xiu protested. "The children love me. I teach kids ages 6-8 and 12-14."

"It's true!" agreed Mucheng. "He sends me these really cute videos of the smaller children and videos with routines for the older ones, and they all really love his classes."

"The boss lets me use the studios in my free time. Anyway, it was a surprise to see you last night. What are you doing in City H?"

Wang Jiexi was suddenly thoughtful. If Ye Xiu really did teach... maybe... he could strike two birds with one stone.

"Ye Xiu... Can I ask you a favor?"

The contemporary dancer hesitantly nodded. "Yeah sure. Go ahead."

"Would you teach Yifan ballet?"

Ye Xiu and Mucheng looked at each other puzzledly. Didn't Tiny Herb have a ballet academy?

"Well, it would be within my power to. But why do you need me?"

"That is..."

"We're back," came a soft voice to their side.

The three of them turned to where Yingjie was holding up a red McDonald's box. Yifan was next to him, holding the change from the purchase. He shyly pressed the coins into his father's palms.

"Thank you, boys. You two are so helpful." The twins beamed under their father's praise.

"Mr. Ye, we hope you like it." The brown haired boy politely held out the box to Ye Xiu.

"You two can just call me Ye Xiu." Ye Xiu accepted the box. He opened it and pulled out a plastic toy. "Isn't this... a kid's meal?"

Su Mucheng stifled a snort behind her hands and Wang Jiexi could not suppress a smile.

Yingjie nodded. "It's got protein, and milk, and apples," he counted off on his fingers. He gave a bright smile. "It's healthy, just like you wanted, Dad."

Wang Jiexi patted the young brunette. He looked up at Ye Xiu, uneven eyes crinkling with bemusement. "Better eat all of it, Ye Xiu. Don't let my kids' efforts go to waste."

Ye Xiu sighed and nudged the plastic toy toward Yifan, nodding that it was okay to take it. He bit into the apple.

* * *

When they had finished with their meal, Su Mucheng needed to go back to Excellent Era to meet with management about doing another photo shoot and interview. She bid them farewell at the doorway with a promise to text again soon.

Ye Xiu and Wang Jiexi went back to Happy, hot coffee in hand for Chen Guo. Her eyes lit up as she saw the coffee, and doubly so when she saw that Ye Xiu had brought Wang Jiexi and his two children back again.

"Sorry to intrude again," Wang Jiexi apologized.

"It's no problem! Please, come in. Stay as long as you like!" Chen Guo was welcoming. "No need to be polite, not when you're with that shameless hoodlum of a dancer."

Ye Xiu gave a huff of amusement. "I brought you a coffee, didn't I?"

She took a sip, ready to savor the warm liquid caffeine. She gagged. "This is black!"

Ye Xiu shrugged as they headed down the hallway. "Wasn't sure how many sugars you wanted." He called out over his shoulder. "It's fine to use the studios before class starts, yeah?"

Chen Guo sighed. That guy... she hoped he wouldn't corrupt those cute children.

They let the boys stretch in the studios while the two men sat in the hall. Jiexi smiled fondly at the sight of Yifan stretching alongside his brother. It was fortunate that they were so close to each other. Able to be each other's best friends and best supports.

 _I'm happy that they have each other. Siblings have a special relationship after all, don't you agree, brother?_

Ye Xiu leaned back on his palms, stretching out his legs from where he sat on the side bench. "So, will you tell me why you want me to teach your son ballet when I'm sure he could get a better education from Tiny Herb?"

The brunette watched his sons pull each other into their splits. "It's not really my story to tell, but let's just say, it was a situation not dissimilar to yours."

Ye Xiu also watched the children. On the surface they looked like any other boys, but underneath...

"Yifan... his heart is still hurting from that situation. I don't think... it would be beneficial for him to keep dancing there. So we were touring the region looking for a new academy." Wang Jiexi turned to Ye Xiu and suddenly took his hand. He brought his face closer to Ye Xiu's own. Ye Xiu leaned away.

 _Wasn't this a bit too close?_

Ye Xiu tried to scoot back, but Wang Jiexi's grip was like iron. "It would really ease my mind to know that you were the one teaching him. Would you be willing to do this for me? For Yifan?"

They were so close that their foreheads were practically touching. Ye Xiu had nowhere to look but into the other's uneven eyes. He could not help but admire the dedication that shone through them. It seemed that a nurturing environment for his sons really meant a lot to him.

It was then that Wang Jiexi realized how close together they were. He dropped Ye Xiu's hand awkwardly.

Ye Xiu coughed. "Well, I'm already teaching another student one-on-one anyway. It wouldn't be too much trouble to take another. I'll need to assess his skills though. And I'll only take him if he wants to learn from me."

"Perhaps a trial class then?"

"Sounds good." The contemporary dancer stood from his position on the bench. He toed off his shoes and kicked them into a cubby, then moved to enter the studio. He stopped in the doorway. "Umm, the children are fine but could I ask you to...?"

Jiexi nodded. "I'll wait in the lobby."

"Thanks."

The children turned their heads to look at him as he chasséd to the center of the room.

"Hello, boys. Would you two like to have a sample ballet class with me? I have some free time before the studio opens for classes."

They looked at each other. Dance class with the man voted best male dancer three years in a row? They would be fools to miss such a thing.

"We would love to Mr. Ye." Yingjie answered for the both of them.

"I told you that you could call me Ye Xiu. Or I guess Teacher or Coach if you so prefer. Let's do a bit of barre, then across the floor, okay?"

Ye Xiu connected his phone to the speaker system. "Do you have a preferred song choice?"

Yifan shook his head. "Anything is fine."

"Okay, I'll just pick some music then. We'll do ronde de jambes through first, three slow, stopping at each position, then three faster. Two sets, once en dehors, end tendu front, then once en dedans, end tendu back. Then again en l'air, same thing, en dehor, en dedans, close soutenue, other side. Got it?"

Yifan nodded.

"Don't we need shoes?" Yingjie asked.

Yifan looked down. Oh, right. He had forgotten. How stupid of him.

"No need." The dancer waved off the concern. "You guys probably didn't bring shoes, and it's an informal class anyway. Barefoot is fine."

Yingjie looked uneasy but went to position himself at the barre. Yifan took up the position behind his brother. Ye Xiu started the music.

Yifan started to relax doing his exercises at the barre. He had missed this. He closed his eyes and just felt his muscles work as he brushed through tendu and worked through his feet in time to the music. The song sounded so familiar, but he could not remember the name. It reminded him of his mother, when she had picked him and his brother up from their first dance classes, and he had felt warm and safe and happy from within her arms.

He opened his eyes when it was time to lift his leg for ronde de jambes en l'air. His brother was concentrated on his position, looking at himself in the mirror. Yifan admired his brother's smooth and precise movements.

 _Not as good as his brother. They only bother with him 'cause his dad's the principle._

As they brought their legs in and they turned around at the bar, reversing their positions, he wondered what his brother would think of seeing him from the back.

They did a few other exercises at the barre until they were sufficiently warm, then Ye Xiu gestured for them to start exercises in the center. He demonstrated a short combination to practice leaps across the floor and Yifan and Yingjie marked it for themselves to get the timing. With a short nod, Ye Xiu went to stand in the back of the room to watch their technique.

It made Yifan nervous. Ye Xiu or Ye Qiu, he was... an amazing dancer. After seeing him dance last night, he had gone back and watched all of his solo and duet videos on his tablet until late into the night, well past when his brother had fallen asleep in their shared hotel room bed. He didn't bother with the group dances, as Su Mucheng had already said that they weren't good. Even the videos from the very beginning of his career made him breathless with amazement. And someone this amazing was watching him?

He let Yingjie go first to wipe his sweaty palms on his legs. His brother fluidly traveled across the room and gracefully lept into the air.

"Mm. Not bad," said Ye Xiu, and Yingjie beamed.

It was then Yifan's turn. He wanted to do well in front of Ye Xiu, but he couldn't stop thinking.

 _I want him to like me. I want him to like my dancing. I want to dance._

He landed heavily on his feet and cringed at the sound.

"Hmm..."

No comment. He should have expected this, instead of getting his hopes up.

With that, Ye Xiu dismissed them, their trial class having ended far too soon. He had wanted to show Ye Xiu his best. Show him that he wanted to be a pro dancer. But his dancing... perhaps it had been too long. He was out of practice, stiff and stupid.

"That will be all for today," announced Ye Xiu with a clap. "Xiao Yingjie, would you mind getting your father? I would like to talk to Xiao Yifan about something."

Yingjie looked back hesitantly at Yifan. Yifan nodded. He would be okay. Yingjie padded out into the lobby to go get Jiexi.

"Xiao Yifan."

"Y-yes?" He scoured the dancer's face for a sign of anger or disappointment. He didn't think he would be able to bear it if he was scolded by Ye Xiu.

"Do you love dance?"

Yifan was startled. This was... a hard question. Dance was... painful. He couldn't deny that dancing still hurt. When he thought about his time at Tiny Herb... how he had never felt _good enough,_ it still made his stomach churn. Looking at his brother, who made it look so _easy_ , he should have felt proud for him. That was his younger brother. His best friend. It wasn't that he was jealous per se, but...

 _A waste of time. A leech. Worthless without the influence of his father and prodigy brother._

He had stopped dancing since then. But there wasn't a day that went by where he didn't miss it.

He still remembered the first time he had seen his father, then uncle, dance onstage. He still remembered his first ballet class. He remembered the exhilaration of performing for an audience in his recitals. He remembered the pleasant soreness that came after a full practice.

He must have had a strange, almost desperate look on his face, but even still he said, "Yes."

Ye Xiu smiled. "Good answer."

The dancer seemed genuinely pleased. He spun around on his feet, coming to rest facing Yifan. He bent down so that he was eye level with the young boy and laid his two hands on his shoulders.

"Yifan. Your father has asked me to teach you ballet. And I can definitely do that. But I think- and it's okay to say no- that you have potential to learn contemporary." He smiled. "So how about it? Would you like to stay here and learn from me?"

* * *

/Notes: Song this chapter is Sweet Child o' Mine by Guns 'N Roses. There are a lot of pretty piano and instrumental covers so take a listen if you've the time ^^


	6. We Won't

While the children were dancing with Ye Xiu, Wang Jiexi came out into the lobby of Happy. Chen Guo was at the front desk, flipping through the apartments for rent section of the newspaper.

"Are you looking for a new apartment, Ms. Chen?" He wandered over to the desk curiously.

Her eyes glanced up at him. "Oh no, I'm looking for a new apartment for Ye Xiu." She turned another page. "I can't have God Ye continue to stay in the storage room..." she muttered.

"...Storage room?"

The older woman flushed. "T-to be fair, Ye Xiu hasn't thought about moving out either!" She flipped another page in embarrassed indignation, and then sighed, hand coming to brush a stray hair from her face. "I'd like to find him a nice place, but rent is so high around here..."

Wang Jiexi peered over at the listings. If Ye Xiu was looking for a new place to live, wouldn't that be ideal? If Yifan could live with Ye Xiu... then Yifan would be able to be close to his teacher instead of living somewhere all alone, and Jiexi would be able to check up on the both of them.

"I can help you look for a good one," he offered.

Chen Guo's eyes narrowed suspiciously. She wasn't one to turn down help, but what was a famous dancer like Wang Jiexi doing here, and offering to help the owner of a tiny studio for?

He did not miss her questioning look. "I might enroll one of my sons in your program. He would need a place to live."

Chen Guo was still a little doubtful. She couldn't help but wonder what kind of ulterior motivations did this person have. He couldn't really be thinking to enroll his son in a tiny studio like this, could he? Well, she guessed she did have The Ye Qiu teaching here... But shouldn't he be looking for a dormitory or a family friend's house for his son to stay in? She didn't think a ten year old boy would need a whole apartment to himself.

Despite her reservations, she decided that if Ye Xiu trusted this guy, she would too. She divided the papers in two, and handed over the inside pages for him to leaf through. He took them with a brief nod, and sat down at the plush bench next to the window where parents would sit and chat while waiting for their young children to finish classes. She eyed his dancer's posture as he sat looking through the listings.

They sat there in silence, both focused on the papers until one of the boys came out.

"Dad, we're finished now." Yingjie rested one hand on the open door frame at the entrance to the lobby. He scrunched his still bare toes on the rough surface of the carpet.

"Oh good." Jiexi folded his newspaper.

Yingjie glanced back over his shoulder with a distracted look.

"How was the sample class, Yingjie?"

"It was fine," the boy answered, gaze returning to his father. "Just some standard barre and center exercises. I didn't realize that a contemporary dancer would know ballet so well."

"A lot of contemporary dancers have classical training." Jiexi explained. He stood and gathered the newspapers under his arm. "Actually, before Ye Xiu broke out with contemporary dance in his debut, Excellent Era used to have a pre-professional ballet program. Since then, they've changed their whole image to be solely contemporary. You could say that Excellent Era became a contemporary company because of Ye Xiu."

Wang Jiexi nodded to Chen Guo as he handed her back the papers and went back into the hallway with Yingjie to retrieve his other son and Ye Xiu.

Yingjie glanced up at his father. "You sure know a lot about Excellent Era and Ye Qiu, Dad."

He hummed in response.

 _Evidently not enough to have prevented what happened._

As they reached the door to the back studio, Wang Jiexi's hand paused on the handle. "Yingjie, how would you feel if we let Yifan stay here and learn ballet from Ye Xiu?"

"W-what?"

"Ye Xiu teaches ballet here. He'd be willing to teach Yifan, so he wouldn't have to go back to Tiny Herb. Do you think that would be good for him?"

Yingjie looked up to his father's face searching for... something. He knew that the purpose of this trip was to find somewhere where his brother could feel like he could dance again. And technically he had been the one to suggest coming here, to Happy. But in truth, for all of the places that they visited, he didn't think they would actually find somewhere. He thought that they would be unable to find a suitable academy and then they'd give up and go home. Back to Tiny Herb.

Even if Yifan was not yet ready to go back to Tiny Herb, he would still wait patiently until he felt comfortable enough to come back. And then he would teach Yifan everything that he had missed, and they would all be happy again.

 _I know it's painful for him. I know he's not ready to go back there. But we promised. We promised we'd become dancers and dance at Tiny Herb together._

If it was going to come to this, he almost regretted pointing out Happy to his brother and father. But, the mesmerized look on Yifan's face as he was watching Ye Xiu dance the other night popped up in his mind. And when they had been in Ye Xiu's impromptu class. Even though he could see in his face, in his movements, that his brother still was hurt, he was _dancing_. And that was the most important.

 _It had been a few weeks since Yifan had stopped coming to dance. For the first two weeks, he had tried to coax him into coming back with him, to at least stop by the academy and greet their teachers, but he stopped pressing after a while when he noticed that Yifan would visibly flinch whenever the company was mentioned. His brother seemed better, now that he had been avoiding all mention of Tiny Herb at home, but he was still worried. Yifan had stopped dancing entirely. Finally, he was able to convince him to stretch and practice barre with him, in the comfort of their own practice room. But as Yifan came to stand in front of the floor length mirror and Yingjie tried to teach him an adage they had learned in class the other day, he froze up._

 _I'm sorry, he had whispered. I'm sorry. I can't._

Yifan was dancing again. And it was because of Ye Xiu.

"I-," he started, "We would be separated?"

Their father nodded solemnly. "I can't stay here. I have to go back to Tiny Herb soon to practice for the spring show. Technically, you could stay here as well, but... you want to go back to Tiny Herb too, don't you?"

Yingjie couldn't imagine what it would be like to live without his brother. They were a pair, a set. They had been together even before being born. But he nodded hesitantly. "I want to go back home. I- I would miss him. A lot. But, Yifan... he can dance here."

Their father smiled gently. "I think so too."

"I'll wait for him. I'll wait for Yifan until he's ready to come home."

Jiexi wrapped his hand around his younger son's shoulder and led him into the studio. "Let's see what Yifan thinks."

As the door swung open, Yingjie found the his brother looking down at his feet.

 _I knew I shouldn't've left him alone with Ye Xiu!_

Yingjie rushed over to his side. "Yifan!"

Yifan looked up. Yingjie snatched up his brothers two hands and intertwined their fingers.

"Yingjie..."

Wang Jiexi knelt down in front of them. Ye Xiu moved off to the side, leaning against the counter.

"Yifan. Did Ye Xiu tell you?"

Yifan made a curt nod.

"Would you like to stay at Happy and learn from him?"

Yifan squeezed his brother's hand. He felt a squeeze in return.

 _You say that I have potential- but what could you possibly see in me?_

 _Well, you've got a strong foundation in ballet for one, and you have the strength and flexibility needed for it. But truthfully? It's because you looked like... you wanted to be free._

"I- I want to learn from Ye Xiu."

Jiexi's uneven eyes softened and he relaxed into a smile. "It's settled then."

Yifan couldn't quite believe that it was decided just like that. He felt something like guilt gnawing away at his stomach. It felt almost like a betrayal. He loved- loves ballet. Why would he ever want to learn something else? And yet...

 _Freedom. I wonder what that means..._

* * *

"If isn't it Xiao Ye! Who have you brought with you today?"

Classes in the studio were going to start soon after they finished their sample class, but Ye Xiu didn't have to teach today, so they took a break for Wang Jiexi and the boys to go back to their hotel room to shower before meeting up again for lunch.

Ye Xiu took them to a ramen place that he frequented. The owners there were a friendly married couple who loved their regulars and newcomers alike.

"Auntie, this is my friend from high school and his two sons. We'll have to show them your best," Ye Xiu grinned.

She laughed and pinched Ye Xiu and the two cuties on the cheeks, earning a half-hidden chuckle on the part of Wang Jiexi. She answered with a hearty laugh, calling out to her husband in the kitchen. "Four house specials with extra scallions!"

The food came out in steaming hot bowls, giving off a mouth-watering aroma.

The boys started eating right away, hungry after their morning exercise.

"Don't rush," Wang Jiexi chided with a soft tone. When they had slowed down their frantic slurping to a more reasonable pace, he asked, "How is it?"

"Really good."

"Really delicious."

"Isn't it? I come here after practice a lot. Mm, the broth just warms up my aching muscles." Ye Xiu started eating too, sipping at the steaming broth and slurping his noodles.

"You come here every day?" Wang Jiexi was a bit concerned. Was this how Ye Xiu was taking care of himself?

"Not _every_ day..."

Wang Jiexi gave him a look. "You should eat better."

"It's fine, isn't it? I'm a dancer." He exercised too much to get fat from unhealthy foods.

It was because Ye Xiu was a dancer that Wang Jiexi was concerned. Ramen alone would not have the proper balance of nutrients for his level of exercise. Was he getting enough protein for muscle repair? Enough vitamins and minerals? Nutrition is of utmost importance for an athlete after all.

In the end though, he let it go. It was probably because of Ye Xiu's living situation that he wasn't eating too well. It was probably awkward to impose on his boss all the time without asking to use the kitchen a lot.

Near the end of the meal, Wang Jiexi and Yifan got up to use the bathroom, leaving Yingjie alone with Ye Xiu. Ye Xiu was going to make some small talk until he saw the defiant look in the young brunette's eyes. Just because you fed us some good food doesn't mean I have to like you, they seemed to say.

Ye Xiu sighed internally. Honestly, where did this attitude come from? He wasn't like this earlier in their sample class. Maybe he was hitting his teenage rebellious stage early?

The awkward silence hung heavily in the air until Yifan came back to the table ahead of Wang Jiexi.

"Your dad's taking a while. Did he get eaten by the potty monster?"

Yifan shook his head and then shyly gestured to the counter where Wang Jiexi had whipped out his credit card.

Wang Jiexi tucked his wallet back into his back pocket as he made his way back to the table.

"I can pay for my own food." Ye Xiu frowned.

"It's fine. I can afford to cover something as little as a bowl of ramen."

"I'll pay you back."

"You can treat me next time."

Ye Xiu opened his mouth to argue further, but snapped it shut as Auntie came back to serve them some freshly cut orange slices.

As she laid the fruit on the table, she leant down to whisper in Wang Jiexi's ear. "You're a nice friend to worry after him. I always tell my husband to give him extra meat and vegetables." She winked at him as she cleared away their tableware.

Following lunch they returned to the studio where Chen Guo was impatiently tapping her foot waiting for them to come back.

"Ye Xiu! Come with me to tour apartments! We haven't got all day!"

Wang Jiexi and the children tagged along. Now that they had found a teacher for Yifan, they needed to tour the area and make arrangements for him to stay.

"This one is pretty nice." Wang Jiexi peered out the window overlooking the street.

The apartment was a fifteen minute walk from the studio, on the third floor of an old apartment building. Though the outside was just plain concrete, the inside had recently been redone, so the kitchenette and bathroom were fairly new. It was a two bedroom apartment, and somewhat small, but there was an open living area big enough to convert into a small practice space. All in all, it was much better than the other apartments they had visited so far.

Ye Xiu also thought the apartment was nice, but he didn't think he'd be able to afford such a nice place this close to the theatre district, even with the pay raise Chen Guo had promised him.

"It's an ideal place, but I'd probably have to get a roommate to be able to afford it."

Chen Guo tapped her chin as she put in her opinion. "It'd be hard to find a roommate at this time of year. Most leases expire in the spring or fall. And it'd have to be someone who can put up with your freakish dance obsession. Not many people are willing to go without a couch in the living room after all."

"That won't be a problem." Wang Jiexi assured them.

"Hmm?"

"Yifan can live with you."

Ye Xiu contemplated the option. It would certainly be easy to look after the boy and his mental state if they were living together. And they would both have similar hours and be okay using the living room as a dance space.

"I guess that could work..."

"Good," replied the magician, holding up his phone screen. "Because I just paid the deposit and the first month's rent."

"What?"

"Don't worry. The utilities are included."

"Big-eye..." Ye Xiu's lips pursed. "I would've paid for it."

Wang Jiexi tucked away his phone in his coat pocket. "It's fine. I can afford it."

"This is different than a bowl of ramen!"

"Yes, this is a place where you'll be living with my son."

"I can't accept this!"

"Then treat me to drinks later."

"Wang Jiexi... you..."

Chen Guo was eyes darted back and forth between the two of them. Was there such tension between the two of them before? She coughed nervously, reminding them of her presence.

Realizing the audience they still had in the room, they both looked away awkwardly and noticed the two little heads popping out from the doorway. Yifan's eyes were turned up in worry. Yingjie was frowning.

Wang Jiexi coughed once, excusing himself, and went up to them. "So this place is nice, right? Yifan, you'll get the smaller bedroom. It has a window overlooking the street, isn't that nice?"

"Yeah," Yifan replied, but his gaze remained fixed on the way the dark haired dancer exhaled a long deep breath.

* * *

The next night was a Sunday. Not many people were out at this hour, all preparing to go back to work the following morning. Wang Jiexi, too, had left the children in the hotel room to meet Ye Xiu at an upscale bar not far from Happy. They sat at a secluded table near the back corner, and he let Ye Xiu start the tab as he had promised earlier.

The two of them nursed their drinks, just enjoying the peaceful atmosphere and the soft music floating through the speakers.

 _ **Are we just gonna stay like this forever**_

 _ **Floating, I'm serious**_

 _ **My heart is furious**_

 _ **'Cause I'm so confused when we're together**_

 _ **Feels like I'm choking, these emotions**_

 _ **I know I'm gonna let you down**_

 _ **So don't hold your breath now, yeah**_

 _ **Bittersweet in your mouth**_

 _ **Can you stomach the doubt?**_

 _ **I wish I could say what I'm feeling**_

 _ **I'm scared to let these words out**_

 _ **Don't go to war for me**_

 _ **I'm not the one that you want me to be**_

 _ **Don't call me up at two a.m. tonight**_

 _ **It feels so damn good**_

 _ **And I wish you would (just don't)**_

Wang Jiexi kept silent, watching slender fingers wrap around the glass and porcelain cheeks slowly grow rosy with alcohol. He sipped slowly at his drink, feeling his surroundings soften around the edges.

He started the small talk, making a joke. "We never had the chance to do something like this back in high school."

"Mm, we were too young then. Still children."

"It feels like a lifetime ago."

"Heh. Look at us now."

They had come a long way since the time they spent in school. One was a professional ballet dancer in one of the most prestigious ballet companies in all of China, and the other was a contemporary dance icon. One had become a father and the other a teacher. One of them was at the pinnacle and the other had already fallen from grace.

Wang Jiexi held up his glass in a silent toast. Ye Xiu raised his glass in response and they brought their glasses together with a soft clink before taking another sip.

He waited until Ye Xiu's glass was half empty before bringing it up casually. "Hey... will you tell me about Excellent Era?"

Through the dim yellow lights, he noticed the contemporary dancer's shoulders tense.

"You heard from Mucheng already, didn't you?"

"Only the general gist of it. I want to hear it from you though. Are you really doing okay? What did they do to you?"

The other clenched his jaw. "What's past is past. Let's not talk about it. I'm fine now."

"Are you sure? You couldn't have felt nothing for the company that you helped to found." Excellent Era had not been just Ye Xiu's livelihood. It had been his life.

"There's nothing to talk about. It's already over." He took another long sip of his drink.

"I know, it must have been hard. You can talk to me. I want to help you."

"I don't want to talk about it."

 _One more push._

"Your stage fright got worse over the years. Did they have something to do with it?"

"I don't want to talk about it!"

That last outburst, it had come out louder than Ye Xiu intended. He surprised even himself with the intensity of it. Had he ever lashed out at someone like this before?

He looked down and realized that he was standing. He sat down slowly. He felt his hand shake at his side, so he made a fist with his hand and clenched and unclenched his fingers. Wang Jiexi was staring. Everyone was staring. He caught his reflection in his friend's uneven eyes. God, he had an almost deranged look in his eyes, like a cornered animal.

Jiexi felt the shock crash over him like a cold bucket of water. Ye Xiu- he never seemed to be the type to raise his voice. He felt his throat close up on the words he was going to say. He swallowed uncomfortably. Did he- make a mistake?

No one was saying anything, but he could feel his skin crawl with the feeling of eyes watching him, so Ye Xiu made the executive decision to chug the rest of his drink.

"I'm sorry," he finally gasped, slumping back into the wooden chair.

"No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pushed."

"Look." Ye Xiu was pretty sure his cheeks were flushed and that it was mostly the alcohol talking, but he went on. "I appreciate your concern. I really do. And I know I'm not completely over it. And I know talking about it can help. But there's a reason why I don't want to talk. And I shouldn't have lashed out at you. But it's just- everything. The ramen, the apartment- I-" He took a shaky breath, "It's too fast- I'm not used to it. I can't-"

 _I can't accept your kindness._

"I don't know you."

Ye Xiu's words struck him like a knife to the heart. But what hurt Jiexi the most, was that he realized it was true. Besides these past few days, just how long had they spent together? Just one semester nearly ten years ago. Just what had made Wang Jiexi think that he knew Ye Xiu? The fact that they were once classmates? That they had done projects together? That he had watched every one of his videos and read each of his very few interviews?

He had wanted to help. He had felt like he had a connection with Ye Xiu. Ye Xiu had somehow become someone important to him. Was this simply a one-sided feeling that he had constructed based on his own wants and desires? Perhaps... it was.

"I'm sorry." He apologized again. "I- I may have been projecting. When Yifan stopped dancing, I had never felt so helpless. I was so busy that I hadn't even noticed the signs. I felt like such a terrible father. And it's really hard when we've only made so little progress. So in regards to your situation, I probably rushed it too much. I still want to be supporting of you, but I... will back off for now. I'm sorry." He let his gaze drop to the table.

"Don't beat yourself up over it. I know you have good intentions... We're still friends."

If anything, he felt worse that Ye Xiu was trying to comfort him when it should be the other way around. Ye Xiu was so strong, but in other ways he was equally just as vulnerable. It was true that he had been too forward in pushing his agenda onto Ye Xiu, but god, it saddened him to think that Ye Xiu had so few people he could trust.

"I'm sorry." He apologized again. "I really am."

Ye Xiu closed his eyes and let a soft breath escape his lips. "I know." He excused himself from the table. "I think I'll head home first." He gathered up his coat and scarf, wrapping them tightly around himself. Almost as an afterthought, he paused, brushing a light hand against the table. "...And don't worry about Yifan. My offer still stands. He'll- It will be okay. Eventually."

He took a step away from the table and his body swayed slightly.

"Ye Xiu!"

Jiexi instinctively reached his hand out to catch him, but at the flash of warning he got as he made eye contact with the other man, he pulled back his fingers as if he had touched a hot stove.

Ye Xiu steadied himself with the table.

"It's okay. I'm okay."

Wang Jiexi watched him leave through the window of the bar. Despite the alcohol, his body felt cold with the weight of what he had done.

* * *

/Notes: It's been a while since I last updated for this piece haha. But real life got real busy this semester, so this might have slower updates. I still have ideas for this, it will just take me a while to find time to write but also figure out how to get there... But the song for this chapter is We Won't by Jaymes Young & Phoebe Ryan. I really really love the lyrics, and there are a couple of good dances on youtube, so I recommend taking a look.


	7. Arms Open

Wang Jiexi woke up the next morning with a pounding headache. He wanted to blame it on a hangover, but knew it wasn't so. After Ye Xiu had left, he had left the bar with his drink sitting unfinished on the table.

He sluggishly roused himself out of bed and dragged his body to the bathroom. He ran the faucet and splashed cold water onto his face. His gaze lifted up to the mirror as the round droplets rolled off his cheekbones.

 _Why did you do that? Why did you have to go so far?_

His uneven-eyed reflection silently stared back at him.

He felt his head begin to throb. With a deep sigh, he turned his back from his mirror image, and went to rummage through his luggage for some aspirin. He found his two sons already up in the common area of the hotel room, munching on some whole grain cereal and fruit he had left for them the day before.

"Morning," mumbled the younger through his mouthful of cereal when he noticed their father's approach.

"Are we... going to visit Ye Xiu again today?" asked Yifan in a quiet voice.

Jiexi made himself some instant coffee and swallowed his pill with a bitter smile. He didn't think he had the courage to face Ye Xiu again after last night. Perhaps it was best if they took a short break. He did say that he would back off for now.

"No, he's a bit busy with his other classes. I thought we could do some shopping today for the apartment."

He felt his phone buzz in his pocket. It was a text from Su Mucheng.

 **Su Mucheng:** Good morning! Ye Xiu realized that he didn't have your number, but he wanted to let you know that he got back safely last night. I gave him your number, but he said that it might be weird to get a text from an unknown number, so he asked me to do it. He said it's fine to give you his number though, so here it is: XXX-XXXX. I also heard about Yifan! I'm sure he'll love learning under Ye Xiu. Let me know if you need any more information about City H!

It seemed that Ye Xiu had not told Su Mucheng about his blunder. Wang Jiexi felt a sick kind of relief. He couldn't bear to have things be awkward with both Ye Xiu and Su Mucheng.

In the end, he managed to avoid seeing Ye Xiu again until it was time for Wang Jiexi and Yingjie to return to City B. Every morning, he would work up to the courage to type in the phone number, but when it came to sending a message, his thumbs would hang hesitantly in the air, cursor left forever blinking in an empty text message box.

Instead, they had spent the rest of their break buying various pieces of furnishing and necessities for the apartment, including a couple of floor length mirrors and a metal freestanding barre to add to the practice room. Ye Xiu had messaged him just once this whole period, telling him to bill him for half of his purchases. Not daring to make things worse between them, he had only replied with the exact number.

Jiexi berated himself for being such a coward. But how should he act when seeing him? He couldn't make pleasant small talk or go out for meals just ignoring that he had not hurt one of his precious few friends. He couldn't pretend that it was like before. He could not and yet, he couldn't rid the feeling of wanting to support him.

 _How can I even think about being his support if I'm one of the ones who's hurt him?_

The day of their departure, Ye Xiu came to see them off at the airport and take Yifan back with him to the newly furnished apartment. Wang Jiexi shifted his gaze awkwardly as Ye Xiu greeted them.

"Big-eye. Xiao Yingjie, Xiao Yifan." Ye Xiu's voice was level, but Jiexi could tell from the practiced speed that he too had not forgotten about what had happened that night.

Avoiding the other man's eyes, he turned to his older son. Although he still felt the wave of helplessness that he could only watch as Yifan tried to heal his mental scars, at least he knew where the relationship between them lay.

"We'll call you every Sunday, okay? But you can call whenever you want. And if you ever need or want to come home for any reason, just say the word and we'll come get you."

The dark haired boy nodded. "I-I'll be okay. I'll miss you and Yingjie, but I'm going to work hard."

Yingjie hugged his brother with misty eyes. "I'll miss you Yifan," he murmured softly, "I'm going to work hard too, so you better get even better than before." Yifan patted his brother gently on the back, comforting his younger brother even as his own eyes became a bit moist.

And just like that, it was time to go. Yifan waved as they headed to the gate, and from Jiexi's peripheral vision, he could see Ye Xiu watching them as well.

Those two, together. The only thing he could do now was have faith. And yet, he still wanted to be able to do something, to say something, even if it was just, 'I'm here.'

 _How can I show them I care?_

The two of them reached the waiting area at the gate with little difficulty. Yingjie had been unusually quiet since leaving Yifan, probably still processing the feeling of being separated from his twin. He had curled his legs up into his chair and was mindlessly flicking around on his phone trying to distract himself. Jiexi felt himself sigh as well. It felt different, quieter, with only one child instead of two. He settled into the chair beside his younger son and wrapped an arm around him, gently rubbing his shoulders as the child snuggled his head into his side seeking comfort.

"What are you watching?"

Yingjie popped out one of his earbuds and paused the video, freezing the young boy on screen midway through extending his leg through developpe. Yingjie's hair brushed against his chest, as he craned his neck back to look at him. "...It's Liu Xiaobie. He sent me a video of him practicing his solo."

Jiexi's eyes transfixed on the tiny screen as he felt the pieces come together in his mind.

"Yingjie, will you help me with something once we get home? We'll send it to Yifan afterwards."

"To Yifan?"

"Yes. To Yifan."

"...Okay."

Jiexi opened up his music app and began scrolling through the songs on his phone.

 _What can't be communicated through words..._

The apartment he was living in with Ye Xiu was nice. Quiet. A bit too quiet.

Although Yingjie and their father both dominated the dancefloor with their stage presence, at home, they were more of a relaxed existence. Yingjie's passion came out only for topics related to dance. He did his online coursework just fine, excelled even, but generally stayed pretty quiet as he focused on his work. Their father was always so busy with his rehearsals and sponsorships and promotions that he was hardly home during the day, but he'd always take the time to come home and silently unwind for the day by reading the news, or watching new dance videos with them, or watering his plants. The three of them together made for an odd, introverted family.

Yesterday, they had gotten back from the airport pretty late, so there was only time to have a quick dinner with Ye Xiu before heading to bed. But today, he had had the whole day to miss his father and brother. He wasn't even living alone by himself, but somehow it was still different having two people instead of three. It felt quieter. Lonelier. He curled up on his bed and flipped open the cover on his tablet, idly tapping around looking at old photos and messages between him and his brother.

As if some god were listening, suddenly, a red blinking notification appeared. A message from Yingjie?

 **Yingjie:** Check your Weibo!

He was puzzled until he navigated over to said social media app, and found he had another notification.

[A person you follow [ **Wang Jiexi** ] posted a new video!]

A video?

He tapped the link, bringing up the video player.

Their father was sitting on a stool in the middle of their practice room at home. He felt a fresh wave of homesickness wash over him as he stared at his father's familiar face.

"Hello, everyone. Today I wanted to announce that I'll be sharing a new video dedicated to my son. Yifan, we miss you already here in City B. Since we can't meet in person, I thought I would give you a tiny bit of home."

For him?

"I promise I will try to be a better father, so by watching this, I hope you'll remember that you can rely on me, and that I will always support you in any way that I can."

His father hopped off the stool and bowed. "And with that, let's begin."

The video cut such that the stool was put away and Wang Jiexi was centered in fifth on the floor.

The intro of the music began, and the ballet dancer gently breathed his arms in preparatory.

 _ **I can't unfeel your pain**_

 _ **I can't undo what's done**_

 _ **I can't send back the rain**_

 _ **But if I could, I would**_

 _ **My love,**_

 _ **My arms are open**_

The dancer paused in a tendu, showing off his long lines as his upper body moved to cambré forward, side, and back in a circular port de bra. He stepped forward into a pique arabesque, bringing his arms into an open second position.

 _ **So when you feel like you can't take another round of being broken**_

 _ **My arms are open**_

 _ **And when you're losing faith and every door around you keeps on closing**_

 _ **My arms are open**_

This style of ballet...compared to the classical style that Yifan has practiced in class, it felt softer, more lyrical, but of course it was still perfect in its technique. The soft and delicate movements combined with the precise timings and technique fit well with the soft pluckings of guitar in the music.

 _ **I can't uncry your tears**_

 _ **I can't rewind the time**_

 _ **I can't unsay what's said**_

 _ **In your crazy life**_

 _ **My love, my arms are open**_

 _ **Oh, and when you're cursing at the sky**_

 _ **And thinking, "lord, you must be jokin'"**_

 _ **My arms are open**_

 _ **And, and when you're looking in the mirror**_

 _ **Thinking that, "my life is over"**_

 _ **My arms are open**_

He watched his father- the magician, his mind whispered seeing the precise footwork- create graceful lines and stills. He could feel the love, for him, for ballet, permeating through the video. It felt like an embrace.

When the dance ended with a flourish of arms and a soft look toward the camera, he immediately pressed the replay button watching the whole thing again from the beginning.

Yifan watched the dance again and again, until it was late, feeling all the love that Wang Jiexi had packed into these three and a half minutes and admiring his father doing what he did best. He was almost about to roll over and contentedly drop right to sleep when he remembered there was still a good thirty seconds left in the video. He settled back onto his previous position and tapped the play button.

The video cut so that his father was back on the stool in front of the camera. Yingjie suddenly popped into the screen.

"Yifan! We miss you!"

Their father wrapped an arm around his brother while still talking to the camera. "I know that it's hard being away from home, but Yifan, you're so brave. As your father, it makes me want to work hard as well. We want you to know that we love you no matter what and that if you ever need comfort, Yingjie and I will welcome you back with open arms."

The ballet dancer then looked slightly askance and ran a hand through his brown locks. "And tell your coach...that I'm sorry about before, and that anything I've said applies to him too. If he ever wants to talk... whenever he's ready... I'll be here waiting."

"Thanks for watching everyone. I hope you enjoyed it."

As he sat on his bed contemplating the message from his father, Yifan wondered whether Ye Xiu had already seen the video. It had been a while since it first came out after all.

In the end, he creaked open his bedroom door and peeked into the hallway. The bathroom light was on, and the door open slightly. He tiptoed across and poked his head in. Ye Xiu was brushing his teeth, lifting his heels up and down practicing relevés at the sink.

Yifan's lips curled in a small smile. Maybe he'd tell Ye Xiu about it tomorrow.

The red haired girl towered over him.

When he came over to the studio after finishing his online coursework at the library, he hadn't expected to be ambushed by such a forceful girl. As soon as he stepped through the door, he had been grabbed by the shoulders and and examined with her piercing eyes from head to toe.

"I heard you're going to be Ye Xiu's student too."

 _So this is Ye Xiu's other student?_

He gulped nervously. This girl was different from the girl trainees at Tiny Herb. Weren't girls supposed to be soft-spoken and elegant? What was this feeling like he was going to be eaten?

"Y-yeah. My name is Wang Yifan. I'll be learning under Ye Xiu starting today. Um..." His voice got quieter and quieter until he was a mumbling mess. He must look really stupid right now.

The girl stuck out her hand. "I'm Tang Rou. I guess that makes us rivals then."

He took her hand hesitantly. Rivals?

She grabbed it and gave it a firm shake.

"You're cute. Can I call you Xiao Yifan?"

He nodded, still a bit dazed.

Ye Xiu then came out into the lobby in his gray dance leggings and the standard black top and tan canvas ballet shoes. He had just finished teaching his class, judging from the stream of small children and their parents spilling out behind him.

"Bye bye Teacher!" The children waved their goodbyes excitedly.

"Thank you for teaching my daughter. She loves your class. It's a shame that you weren't teaching during parent's week. I would have loved to see you teach the children," one mother commented.

Ye Xiu smiled a bit helplessly. "Maybe another time. But your daughter is a pleasure to have in class. So full of energy."

The noise in the lobby soon returned to normal levels once everyone had trickled out. The dancer took one last sweeping look around the empty lobby before noticing the two of them in the corner.

"Oh, it looks like you two met already."

Ye Xiu took a swig from his water bottle and sat down on one of the benches as they came to greet him. He wiped some moisture from his mouth as he introduced them to each other.

"Xiao Tang, this is Yifan, my friend's son. He's ten, and I'll be teaching him ballet and contemporary with you. He's taken classes from a formal ballet academy, so if you have questions about ballet technique, you can ask him. Xiao Yifan, this is Tang Rou. She's a few years older, but she's still learning some of the basics, so please help her out if you can."

They both nodded.

The dancer stood back up and noted their eager looks.

"It looks like you guys want to get straight to dancing, huh?"

Yifan wanted to dance. He had been looking forward to contemporary lessons this whole time, and it seemed like Tang Rou had been too. Even though she seemed really intense and competitive, the atmosphere didn't feel as suffocating as it had at Tiny Herb. Maybe it had something to do with how she was less experienced than him? But that didn't feel quite right. He had a feeling that even if she had danced for ten years previously, she would still look at him the same way.

"I didn't know you two would be such birds of a feather," the older male chuckled, heading back into the hall toward the studios.

Tang Rou followed behind him. She held the door open, waiting for Yifan to come through. She grinned over her shoulder.

"We're rivals after all."

Yifan met her at the door and they went in together.

 _Rivals, huh?_

* * *

/AN: Song this chapter is Arms Open by The Script. Their music just takes me back man


	8. Work Song

Tang Rou was ready. Ready to start her dance career. Right here, and right now. She had changed from her street clothes in record time, shedding her jean jacket and orchid colored skort for her black leotard and plum colored dance shorts. She even tied back her short bob into a stubby little ponytail at the base of her neck.

Yifan, her new rival, had been no less agile in changing into his dancewear, and was now clad in a plain white T-shirt and tight fitting black leggings. Probably the uniform at his old place, she decided.

She stood beside him facing Ye Xiu in the smaller of the two studio classrooms, eagerly waiting for him to start their first real contemporary lesson. He looked on at them silently, scanning them from head to toe.

 _So tender and fresh, full of potential, but not yet mature. I hope I can do them right this time._

"What will we be learning today?" she asked him.

The dancer leaned back resting his elbows on the side counter. "I thought that today we would stretch and do some ballet and modern exercises, then end with a bit of improv."

Ah. She had been hoping for something... a bit more exciting, but she schooled her expression into one of discipline.

 _It's okay. Patience. That's what your martial arts instructors have always told you._

"Okay," she said.

The dancer poked her playfully on the forehead. She screwed up her face.

"Patience, young grasshopper. You don't have to be so disappointed. I promise we'll do some actual choreography soon."

She looked at him dumbfounded. A mind reader?

He chuckled. "If you wanna be a dancer, then you should know that body language can express a lot of things. For example, when two young dancers suddenly go from practically bouncing on their heels to very still."

Huh. She side-eyed the younger boy. So he had the same reaction too?

"Dancing, in fact, is all about expression, even," Ye Xiu continued thoughtfully. "You can express emotions, or aesthetics, or narratives solely through moving your body. It transcends languages. Have you ever watched a dance and it just made you feel something?"

The boy next to her was looking at Ye Xiu with wide eyes, and frantically nodded.

 _Warmth. Love. Aspiration. Wonder. You and Dad have shown me so much._

Tang Rou thought back to watching Ye Xiu dance that first time. He had shown her a whole new world with his dance. She had never thought that there could be more to dance than what she saw every day at the studio. Ballet had always seemed boring to her, and the tap and jazz that the older students practiced seemed not much better. Watching Ye Xiu dance was a revelation. And it wasn't just that the dance was different, but the dancer was too. She had never known how soul-wrenching it would be when someone put their whole heart into dance, without even opening their eyes. It had filled her with the inexplicable urge to do everything she could to dance like this person had.

And now, here she was, taking that first step. She found herself echoing the younger boy's nodding motion. Watching Ye Xiu had taught her that dance could make her feel this way.

Ye Xiu's expression softened, and his eyes gained a certain fondness that made them glitter gold in the light.

"Well, it's the same for me, actually. That's why I got into dance, and why ballet will always be my first love."

He stood up properly from the side counter. "So that's part of the reason why I won't neglect your studies in other styles, but it will also help you along the way."

The dancer addressed Tang Rou as he started to move to the center to lead the exercises. "We already talked about how it's important to build up basic foundational skills, but there's also a contextual background too. Both modern and contemporary arose in reaction to ballet. If ballet is about following rules, so to say, then contemporary is about using the rules, sometimes following, and other times breaking. The emphasis is less on the technical aspect and more on the movement and shapes." He arrived in the center floor and made an arch with his foot, cracking his toes against the ground with a loud series of pops. "So that's where I find that there's more room for the dancer or choreographer's creative expression. But in order to break conventions, you need to be familiar with them, make sense?"

Tang Rou understood the reasoning behind it. It would of course, take a while to be rid of her initial impressions of dance, and she was still eager to do actual contemporary choreography, but she held the image of Ye Xiu's first dance in her mind. If this legwork would help her reach that, she would shoulder any task.

"Yes, coach!"

He turned to Yifan. "And just because you're already familiar with ballet, doesn't mean you can slack off. I promised your father I'd continue your dance education properly, got it?"

"Yes, coach," he repeated dutifully.

"Oh, by the way," Ye Xiu swiveled around again to face her. "How often will you be here? When do you have your martial arts practice?"

She frowned. Was he looking down at her resolve?

"I'll be here every day," she sniffed. "I'm quitting martial arts. I want to be a dancer."

 _Heh. Wasn't I like that back then?_

 _Stop bothering me about switching electives. I don't want to join the football team with you. I want to be a dancer!_

Ye Xiu admonished her with a fond tone, unable to hide the slight curve to his lips. "Make sure you build in rest days. It will be hard, especially at first."

Tang Rou and Yifan met eyes both trying to bite back a comment. Maybe this was a 'do as I say, not as I do' kind of moment...

* * *

Ye Xiu guided the two through a series of stretches and barre and center exercises. Soon there was only five minutes left before they needed to vacate the studio for the other classes.

Yifan was pleasantly sore from the stretching and strengthing exercises, but he was sure that tomorrow morning he would be feeling it all over. After all, it had been months since he had properly worked this hard. He'd have to pack his IcyHot stick in his bag for tomorrow.

He snagged a quick sip from his water bottle as Ye Xiu too took big gulps from his own bottle and then used the excess water dripping down his chin to smooth away a strand of his sweaty bangs.

"Ready for some improv?" the dancer asked, setting down his bottle on the counter.

Yifan felt a nervous fluttering in his chest. It was an entirely new thing to be dancing without an instructor dictating his every move.

 _Is this the freedom Ye Xiu was talking about? Freedom is... kind of scary._

He snuck a peek at the older girl beside him. Her bright expression looked to be more excited than nervous. "En!" she replied with an enthusiastic nod. He wished he could be as fearless as her.

Ye Xiu crossed the room heading over to the light switch.

"I'll set some mood lighting," he started to explain. "There's no set choreography to perform. The darkness will help you move away from thinking about what others want to see and let you focus on exploring movement. It's okay if it doesn't look good the first time. I can already tell from your two backgrounds you," he gestured to Yifan, "will probably think too much, and you," waved at Tang Rou, "will probably think too little."

They each looked at each other dubiously. What could that possibly mean?

Ye Xiu pretended not to see their questioning looks, refusing to say more on the subject. "You'll figure it out. Don't worry too much about it. Just dance. Nothing is right, and nothing is wrong. Take this time to observe and explore. What kind of movement makes up your own dance?"

With that, he flicked off the light with his long fingers, creating a world of shadowy silhouettes, the only light streaming in from the narrowing window opening in the door. Yifan found that while he could still see everyone perfectly fine, the darkness did settle his nerves a bit.

Ye Xiu's chosen music began to fill the room. He nodded at his two students. 'Dance,' he mouthed.

Yifan closed his eyes and listened to the extended thrums of the intro. Just how was he supposed to start?

 _ **Boys workin' on empty**_

 _ **Is that the kind'a way to face the burning heat?**_

 _ **I just think about my baby**_

 _ **I'm so full of love I could barely eat**_

The lyrics had started and he was already stuck. He needed to get moving already or else Ye Xiu and Tang Rou would leave him behind. He stuck out his leg and defaulted into a set of pique turns.

 _ **There's nothing sweeter than my baby**_

 _ **I'd never want once from the cherry tree**_

 _ **'Cause my baby's sweet as can be**_

 _ **She give me toothaches just from kissin' me**_

He did a pique attitude out of it and came down. Uhh, what should come next? He was tempted to fall back on his ballet training, but this was his first contemporary assignment. Even though Ye Xiu had said that nothing was right and nothing was wrong, wasn't he supposed to be exploring movements or whatever?

Ack, the chorus was starting. He strung some moves together randomly, feeling awkward and out of rhythm.

 _ **When my time comes around**_

 _ **Lay me gently in the cold dark earth**_

 _ **No grave can hold my body down**_

 _ **I'll crawl home to her**_

Okay, if there was truly nothing wrong in improv, then it's not cheating to see what other people were doing, right? He slowed down momentarily to watch the other two out of his peripheral vision. Ye Xiu had gracefully lifted himself up from a phrase of floorwork and travelled across the front of the room with a flowing drag step. Tang Rou's moves similarly flowed a lot smoother than Yifan's, but it seemed that she had danced herself into a corner. He panicked a bit. How was it that they could move so smoothly while he was a jerky, fumbling mess?

He almost tripped over his feet when Ye Xiu suddenly decided to call him out.

"Yifan, don't think, just feel. Use the music to your advantage."

"Tang Rou, look at all this space here. Is there some way you can use it?"

Okay, that was a hint, right? Using the music to his advantage. He listened again.

 _ **When my time comes around**_

 _ **Lay me gently in the cold dark earth**_

 _ **No grave can hold my body down**_

 _ **I'll crawl home to her**_

The music was slow. Low, slow, and with a distinct beat. He felt himself calm a bit.

 _The music isn't fast. I can stretch out each movement and think calmly about where to go next._

Ye Xiu told him to feel. The song felt heavy. He instinctively bent his knees more to get closer to the ground. Maybe something like this? But it still felt awkward and strange.

The three and a half minute song seemed to last an eternity, yet at the same time it ended too soon. It left a bittersweet taste in his mouth. He had wanted it to be over, but he still hadn't really gotten the hang of it yet.

Ye Xiu dismissed them from their first contemporary practice with a "good first improv" and a "we'll do this again next time," but Yifan didn't feel any reassurance from it.

As he and Tang Rou exited the studio, both of them shiny with sweat, she gave a sardonic chuckle.

"Was that as bad for you as it was for me?"

"It was hard for you too?"

She nodded.

"No way, you're movements were so smooth," he protested.

"I don't really know many dance moves like you do. I just kinda went with the momentum," she shrugged. "Except momentum kept wanting me to go to the right, and then I got kinda stuck..."

"Oh," he replied.

"Hey," she brightened up a bit. "Wanna compare notes with me? Maybe we can figure out what Ye Xiu said earlier."

He stared at her.

No one in Tiny Herb had ever wanted to review with him, so he kept mostly to himself and practiced in their studio space at home. And his brother was the silent worker type. He practiced harder than anyone else, and learned the most from working diligently by himself, so even though they would practice at the same time, Yifan generally reviewed the exercises alone.

"If you don't want to, it's fine," Tang Rou added, seeing his unsure face.

"I- I want to!"

The taller girl pulled out the ponytail from her hair and shook her head, letting her reddish hair fall to frame her grinning cheeks. "The space down here can get pretty loud, but Auntie Guoguo sometimes lets me go upstairs to work on homework. Wanna go up and discuss with me?"

He followed her up the stairs. After the darkness of the studio during their improv session, everything seemed to be a bit brighter.

* * *

The female host waved to the studio audience. "Hello everyone! Welcome to Good Morning City H, City H's hottest talk show, filming live from our studio this morning! Today we have two very special guests, please welcome Excellent Era's Su Mucheng and Sun Xiang!"

At their cue, Su Mucheng and Sun Xiang came out onto the set, smiling and waving at the applause they got from the audience. Mucheng was wearing a new beige-pink dress and heels, while Sun Xiang had chosen to wear a jean jacket and fedora. They bowed to the cameras before making themselves comfortable on the couch.

Mucheng disliked the fact that Excellent Era wanted her to do these new tv segments and commercials with Sun Xiang. She was used to interviews and tv segments of course. She was a beautiful and talented woman, and the one closest to Ye Qiu. But previously, she had only done these types of things by herself, as her partner Ye Xiu refused to do them. The only kind of commercial activities that Ye Xiu had ever agreed to were onstage dance photoshoots, and even then he wore his mask at all times. There were a few times where he had answered questions through QQ, specifically after he had been designated best male dancer, but those interviews had been both one-off interviews and quite sparse in his answers.

Sun Xiang, on the other hand, wasn't as selective with his publicity activities and even sought out chances to do interviews. It made sense. He was a rising star, seeking to gain more popularity as one of the candidates for dance weekly's best male dancer.

With a new partner who didn't refuse interviews, it would make sense for the company to want them to do a segment together. Appearing together would increase their respective marketabilities tenfold. But Mucheng still didn't like it.

 _They want to paint us as a pair, a couple. They're so desperate to erase him._

She put on her best stage smile even as her insides curled up in disgust. She would just have to bear with it, because she had her own objectives to accomplish today.

"Welcome Su Mucheng and Sun Xiang. We're excited to have you here today." The female host greeted them.

"Likewise," she replied amicably.

The host leaned in closer from the edge of her loveseat as if she were sharing a big secret. "Su Mucheng and Sun Xiang, you are some of the most beautiful and talented dancers out there. You've been partnered for so little time, and yet, you've already pulled off an amazing performance."

They turned to a monitor to the side of the couches and watched a short video of their rendition of Forever Young. The clip ended on a still of a lift, with Mucheng held frozen in the air by Sun Xiang's lean muscular arms.

"That clip was just one part of an all-around amazing performance. How did you two create such a beautiful partnership in just one month?"

Sun Xiang cleared his throat preparing to answer, but Mucheng was quicker.

"That's because we're both professionals. We were both focused on making this dance the best it could be for the sake of Ye Qiu, who performed it with me last."

Sun Xiang's eye twitched but he quickly tagged along with what Mucheng was saying. "That's right. When Su Mucheng has such a capable partner, how can we not make it a great performance?"

"That's very true!" the host exclaimed. "You two are two of the most talented people we've ever had on the show. Have you heard, even the famous ballet dancer Wang Jiexi came to see your performance!"

"Oh, is that so?" she asked. Of course he had come. She had gotten him and his sons tickets.

Sun Xiang, being ignorant to the politics behind the scenes, puffed up his chest.

"Indeed, he did!" the host answered. She picked up a set of papers from the coffee table and flipped them open to read from them. "In an exclusive interview with Dance Weekly's Cao Guangcheng about the performance, he said this: 'Su Mucheng did very well for only having a short time to adjust to a new partner. She is an amazing dancer and I admire her dedication and hard work. Her technique has greatly improved since her early days, and I look forward to seeing her in the future.'"

"That's so nice! I admire Tiny Herb's Wang Jiexi, so that means a lot to me." Mucheng replied. She was pleasantly surprised by this comment from the magician. She didn't know that he had said something like this to Cao Guangcheng.

The host continued excitedly, "And you know, he also said this: 'In my mind, Ye Qiu remains one of the very few dancers who has the ability to move my heart solely through his dance. If Sun Xiang wishes to work to become like Ye Qiu, then I wish him the best of luck.'" She chuckled aloud. "It seems like he's also a big Ye Qiu fan!"

Mucheng couldn't help but laugh a little. Oh Wang Jiexi, what a priceless comment!

Sun Xiang dug his fingers into the couch cushions a little more tightly.

"Haha," he said dryly, "aren't we all?"

The host let the audience whoop and holler a bit before the staff on set started gesturing for everyone to quiet down.

She turned to the two of them. "So after that magnificent performance last month, will we be seeing another duet of you two in the coming show?"

"Nope." Mucheng quipped before Sun Xiang could get another word in. "I'll be choreographing my own solo this time."

"If I recall, you haven't done too many solos before. Oh, you're getting me so excited! How about you guys, are you excited?!" She gestured to the live audience, who cheered and whistled. "Su Mucheng, please, we're _dying_ to know, will you tell us what song you'll be dancing to?"

She looked straight into the camera and smiled sweetly. "Praying. By Kesha."

It was not until they had safely gotten back into the back of the company car that Sun Xiang exploded at her.

"What was that?!"

"What was what?" she asked. She turned her head to look out the window.

"You're my partner. You're supposed to back me up. What was that shade you were throwing me?" he seethed.

"A partnership goes two ways," she said plainly.

"You know what you were doing. This was supposed to be promoting my solo. Stop trying to make everything about you!"

"Hmm, what was that? Pot, meet kettle."

They stayed silent for a long while.

Finally, Sun Xiang's rage burst like an angry balloon filled with too much air. "You're just sabotaging me because you think Ye Qiu is better than me!"

She whipped around and glared at him. "You know, I pity you," she spat. "You know what Ye Qiu said about your dancing? He said, 'that guy has a unique style. If he can capitalize on it, he'd make the dance world spin on its heels.' And yet, here you are, falling in with the schemes of people who are just jealous and greedy pigs trying to mold you into Ye Qiu 2.0. Isn't that just saying that Ye Qiu is better than Sun Xiang already?"

The car stopped. They were already at the front of Excellent Era.

Mucheng opened the door.

"Excuse me, _partner,_ but I have some practice to do. Not everyone is willing to let their own dance be trampled down by others."

She slammed the door, leaving behind the fuming child in the back seat, and headed straight to the locker rooms to change for practice.

She needed to dance her very best dance this time. A dance worthy of Ye Xiu, her brother, her idol, and her best partner. She would show everyone her resolve as a dancer.

* * *

/AN: as always, faster updates on ao3, guys. Lyrics used this time from Work Song by Hozier. I like this song for stretching :)


	9. Praying

When management had found out that she wanted to do this song, they had flipped out.

 _Su Mucheng, you- you can't do this song!_

 _The assistant producer was practically spitting in anger, so she played ignorant according to her image as an innocent young girl._

 _Oh, is that so? Whyever not? You said I could pick and choreograph my own solo, were those not your own words? She blinked her wide brown eyes._

 _He spluttered some more. It- it was, but you, you still can't do it!_

 _She fake sighed. Oh, I'm afraid it's already too late. I've already announced it on live television. I have no choice but to perform it._

 _She could practically see the gears whirring in the poor man's head trying to find some excuse. But she had already planned everything out, even sharing on her social media the clip from the interview along with a caption dedicating the dance to Ye Qiu. It would be a PR nightmare trying to get her to recant her statement this close to the show._

 _I don't understand why I can't do it, it's a beautiful song, with a beautiful message. There shouldn't be a problem with the theme, unless there's some other meaning that you think it should be alluding to. But of course, there isn't one, right?_

As she stood backstage, with chaos swirling around her as the other dancers hurried to catch their breaths, or change costumes between numbers, or refresh their makeup, she didn't feel the frenetic energy hyping her up like in her early career, nor the cold dread from last show filling her lungs. Instead she felt calm. Strength. This was her own little rebellion, the culmination of a month's worth of hard work and planning. She would show everyone, Ye Xiu included, that she wasn't a powerless little girl anymore.

She walked quickly toward the wing, ignoring the scowl that was shot her way from a certain blond soloist. Her costume this time was only a sleeveless nude-colored dress, and her long orangey locks had been carefully braided into her signature half-up half-down style.

Assistant Producer Cui Li was pacing back and forth with his headset, dragging the wire this way and that as he looked on at her with a nervous disdain. She smiled a little bit evilly and mouthed, 'sorry,' not looking sorry at all.

The lights went out, signalling her entrance. The audience clapped loudly for the previous number.

Su Mucheng took a deep breath. It was time.

 _Brother. Ye Xiu. Please watch me._

When the dim overhead lights came on, she was already in her position laying on her side with her back to the audience in the back corner of the stage. A single white spotlight shone over her, illuminating how her body curled up like a small child. The overhead lights gently pulsed with the soft piano chords, and she similarly breathed her body to extend and contract in rhythm. She rolled over onto her other side, sharply sitting up at the lead-in to the vocals and melting with the lyrics.

 _ **Well, you almost had me fooled**_

 _ **Told me that I was nothing without you**_

 _ **Oh, but after everything you've done**_

 _ **I can thank you for how strong I have become**_

 _ **'Cause you brought the flames and you put me through hell**_

 _ **I had to learn how to fight for myself**_

 _ **And we both know all the truth I could tell**_

 _ **I'll just say this is "I wish you farewell"**_

She swung her leg out and up to get to her feet. She swayed her body, shifting her weight into her plié, as she slowly rolled up.

 _This month has been a challenge for me, who is weak in performing solos. But I will rise stronger from this opportunity._

 _ **I hope you're somewhere prayin'**_

 _ **Prayin'**_

 _ **I hope your soul is changin'**_

 _ **Changin'**_

 _ **I hope you find your peace**_

 _ **Falling on your knees**_

 _ **Prayin'**_

Ye Xiu, his boss, and his two students were somewhere out there in the audience. She had gotten them seats near the back so they could sneak out afterwards. Mucheng did not have the time to look for them in the audience, but she felt a solid groundedness knowing they were there supporting her.

 _ **I'm proud of who I am**_

 _ **No more monsters, I can breathe again**_

 _ **And you said that I was done**_

 _ **Well, you were wrong and now the best is yet to come**_

 _ **'Cause I can make it on my own, oh**_

 _ **And I don't need you, I found a strength I've never known**_

 _ **I'll bring thunder, I'll bring rain, oh**_

 _ **When I'm finished, they won't even know your name**_

Excellent Era was wrong. They were wrong to push Ye Xiu out. To continually isolate him and play on his fears until he had no choice but to leave. Ye Xiu had never wanted to make trouble for the company that he had loved until the very end, and they had assumed that she would be the same.

But Su Mucheng, no, she wouldn't take these backhanded power plays lying down. She knew the truth, and she could speak out at any time. In that case, wasn't it her who held all the cards?

 _ **You brought the flames and you put me through hell**_

 _ **I had to learn how to fight for myself**_

 _ **And we both know all the truth I could tell**_

 _ **I'll just say this is "I wish you farewell"**_

 _ **I hope you're somewhere prayin'**_

 _ **Prayin'**_

 _ **I hope your soul is changin'**_

 _ **Changin'**_

 _ **I hope you find your peace**_

 _ **Falling on your knees**_

 _ **Prayin'**_

Her forms were not all beautiful. It wasn't that she was lacking in technique, but rather that this was not that kind of flowy and lyrical piece. These were her real feelings she was hurling out onto the stage for everyone to witness. They were sometimes soft, sometimes tender, but sometimes sharp, sometimes cutting, sometimes bruised and ugly and angry.

Mucheng was letting Excellent Era go. Let them have the glory they made off of Ye Xiu's blood and sweat for now. In the end, they would get the retribution they deserved.

She folded over her toes and fell harshly to the ground. She hadn't bothered to wear tights with her costume this time; she had wanted everyone to see the dark bruises on her shins and knees, the proof of her determination and practice. As the last piano notes played, she used her hands to struggle to her feet. She breathed heavily as she walked to the front of the stage and raised her chin defiantly to the balcony, where she knew the cameraman was focusing on a close-up of her face.

 _Let them see. Let them see me. This is my dance._

The audience was struck silent as Mucheng's chest heaved up and down on the stage in the moments of silence following the song. Without waiting for any applause, she bowed her head curtly and directly walked offstage. It was not until the last strand of her orange hair disappeared into the wings that the audience remembered to clap.

* * *

Su Mucheng met Ye Xiu and the others at the back entrance outside of Excellent Era. She had rushed through backstage in order to meet them, not even bothering to sling on her coat, let alone take off her costume or stage makeup.

Ye Xiu was leaning against the wall, breath puffing out in small clouds of condensate, in his hand a bouquet of stargazer lilies.

She stopped in front of him.

Ye Xiu turned his head with a small smile on his face.

"You're here?"

"I'm here," she said.

He extended the bouquet of lilies to her with his lean dancer's arms. "Congratulations on your solo."

She took the flowers into her own arms. Her head tilted downward as she absently admired the velvety pink and white petals. Her eyes turned up slightly. "Did you watch me?"

"En," he said softly.

He reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. His warm thumb lingered tenderly by her cheek. "You've become strong while I wasn't looking."

Mucheng blinked, suddenly finding her eyes moist. She threw herself into her partner's chest.

"I worked really hard," her voice warbled, muffled against his winter coat.

His arms circled around her and his palm made circles on her thin shoulder blades. "You really did." He sighed wistfully. "It's hard to see my little sister figure grow up so quickly, but I'm so proud. Muqiu would be too."

"Yeah..." she sniffed. She pulled away and started to rub at her eyes.

He scolded her gently. "Hey, don't do that or your eyelashes will come off."

She giggled a bit hysterically, bringing more tears to her eyes. She obediently dabbed at the corners of her eyes with the back of her hand. She turned to the rest of the group.

"Sorry about that. Thank you for coming to see me."

"Miss Su, you were wonderful," Yifan complimented shlyly.

Tang Rou was looking at her like she had hung the stars and moon in the sky. "Amazing," she agreed.

"Su Muchennnnggggg," Chen Guo wailed out in a gross sob, "So beautiful! So touching! That you dedicated the solo you worked so hard on to your partner who has faced so many challenges... you're... beyond words..." she broke into another round of tears.

Mucheng couldn't help but feel moved by her partner's boss. It had been a long time since she had heard a sincere compliment like that.

She felt her face scrunch up in a genuine smile.

"Thank you."

Ye Xiu took off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. She accepted the covering, still feeling slightly overwhelmed, but also warm and safe.

"Let's go back to Happy."

They crossed the street from Excellent Era, all the while unaware of another set of eyes narrowing as they watched them enter the yellow lit dance studio across the way.

* * *

Wang Jiexi's toes slid on the floor doing nervous tendus as he held the phone to his ear, listening to the long winding rings waiting for Yifan to pick up.

It was Sunday evening. He and Yifan had exchanged texts over the week, but this would be his first time calling since they had left City H last week. He was anxious to know if Yifan was doing okay by himself.

 _No, not by himself. With Ye Xiu._

Jiexi had still not spoken with Ye Xiu since their brief exchange at the airport. Would Ye Xiu even want to talk to him? Had he seen the video he had posted? Would he make a comment about it? He half wanted to know and half wanted to remain in ignorance. He would rather live forever on edge than to know that he was hated by the one he had always considered a special friend.

His anxious rambling was interrupted by Yifan picking up the phone.

"Hello? Dad?"

"Yifan, it's me. How have you been this week? Are you eating okay? Is the apartment alright? Do you need anything?"

"Dad, slow down."

"Sorry," he apologized, "We just miss you a lot. How are your dance lessons?"

Yifan hesitated. He wanted so desperately to tell him about Ye Xiu's contemporary lessons, but inside he was still afraid. Wang Jiexi, Tiny Herb's magician, had enrolled him under Ye Xiu to continue in his path to professional ballet, but here he was using Ye Xiu's time to teach him contemporary dance.

"They're... good," he brushed over it broadly. Instead of telling his father the details, he narrated his experience meeting Tang Rou and how she had immediately proclaimed herself his rival.

Jiexi was relieved. His quieter son that he had left behind sounded more energetic than before and was even making friends. But he also felt the little sting of _you weren't able to give him what he needed._

"I'm glad there's someone like that to encourage you."

"Me too..." He was really grateful to Tang Rou for her straightforward welcome and friendliness. He didn't know if he would've felt as comfortable adjusting here if she weren't there.

"Umm!" Yifan started again abruptly, "I was also encouraged by the video you posted." He quieted, a bit embarrassed. "I miss you and Yingjie a lot too."

"You... liked it?"

"En."

"Maybe I can find time to do another one then," he pondered, thinking of his busy schedule. "But, I was thinking... I was invited to come teach a ballet workshop at a convention near City H next month. If I accept, I can bring Yingjie down and we can visit you. Would you like that?"

Over the week, Yifan had gotten used to his new routine with his classes, dance lessons, and living with Ye Xiu in the apartment, but he still missed his family, and especially his twin like crazy.

"I would like that."

Yingjie had crept closer as he was calling. 'Yifan?' he mouthed, making a phone gesture with his hands.

Jiexi nodded. Yingjie's eyes lit up.

"Yifan, your brother would like to talk to you, but make sure you thank Ye Xiu properly, okay? I'll call again next week, but we'll see you soon."

He passed the phone to the eager child and let him reconnect with his brother.

With the phone no longer in his hand, the knots in his stomach began to unfurl. He had somehow managed to avoid talking to Ye Xiu again. He gazed at his now empty palm.

 _You coward._

* * *

/AN: sorry for delay on this site, Lyrics are from Praying by Kesha. It's a really powerful piece, and I'm sad that I don't have the skill to pull it off in the way that I am envisioning. Thanks for reading


	10. Born to be Yours

"Alright little friends, two minute break for water and changing shoes."

Ye Xiu opened up the studio door unleashing the horde of little monsters into the hallway. Despite calling them monsters, his class of five and six year-olds was not badly-behaved at all. Rather, they were just pint-sized balls of pure energy. Put sixteen of them into a room together and... well, he was very glad to have Tang Rou and Yifan as teaching assistants to keep a lid on acceptable energy levels.

Though the two could still be considered children themselves, they were both mature and disciplined, and the kids adored them. It was easier to keep the younger children focused when they had the two older students demonstrating the steps (quietly!) in front of them.

Aside from crowd control, he had also asked the two of them to help for other reasons. Firstly, he hoped that spending time with the younger ones would let them retain the childish sense of creativity and mental flexibility that made contemporary dance different from other styles. Tang Rou had been helping out in the studio for a while, so she knew enough of the beginner steps to be able to help out, but she was still becoming used to taking classes with the seriousness required to go pro. He worried that she might become too serious trying to catch up with the rest of the students in her age group. Helping with the younger children would give her a physical and mental break and remind her to take it at her own pace. Yifan, on the other hand, while he knew the basics like the back of his hand, he lacked confidence in his own skills. If he always became discouraged looking ahead at those more skilled than he, he would never see just how much progress he has made coming this far.

Yifan had been nervous about assisting the class at first, but he quickly became a star in the girls' eyes due to his experienced technique. It was a surprise to him, that even with a world-class dancer as a teacher and all the other older classes around, he could impress these children with something as simple as a pointed foot.

When he had first started ballet around that age, the dancers a few years above him had seemed so big and cool and knowledgeable, and he had wanted to be just like them. It felt almost surreal that he was now in their place, since he didn't feel accomplished at all. But, it made him a little happy on the inside, to think that he might be inspiring one of these children to continue dance.

"Yifan and Xiao Tang, I'm going to step out for a bit. Could you help with shoe tying and whatnot?"

They each nodded, moving over to the benches where the girls were struggling to tie their ribbons on their shiny black tap shoes.

Ye Xiu left the children under Tang Rou and Yifan's careful watch as he padded into the lobby to check the binders at the front desk. The binders kept in the studio space had the class roster and attendance sheets for all the classes that went on in them, but the binders at the front desk dictated when the two studios were being used that week. For the most part, the schedule stayed pretty consistent as the studios were blocked off for regular classes each week, but sometimes there would be birthday parties or groups of outside dancers wanting to practice their routines booking the space. Since Tang Rou and Yifan did not officially constitute their own class, Ye Xiu had schedule their lessons around their school schedules and the other bookings.

Ye Xiu pulled open the door to the lobby, slipping in and pulling it shut to drown out the noise of the kids chattering as they switched their shoes.

"Hey, Teacher Li. Could I see-"

"Brother Ye."

At the sound of the man's voice, Ye Xiu slowly turned his head. Instead of the other teacher who had been on desk duty earlier, there leaning over the counter, casually flipping through the studio's colorful brochures, stood a familiar figure.

"Liu Hao."

The blonde dancer left the brochures on the desk and sauntered toward him.

"What a coincidence meeting you here! It's so _nice_ to see you." He scanned the facilities with wide blown eyes as if amazed by the space. "It's good to see that you're still dancing, even in a place like this."

Ye Xiu stood impassively and schooled his face into a blank expression as Liu Hao circled around behind him, heels brushing against the gray carpeted floors. A cold sweat started to drip down his back.

 _It's just Liu Hao. Don't let him get to you._

"This small little studio is so cute," Liu Hao said, stopping at the opposite end of the lobby and inspecting the photos of students from years past that Chen Guo had framed in neat rows along the wall. "But you couldn't possibly be a student here, so you must be a teacher. How do you like it?"

 _How do you like being at the very bottom for once? How do you like being degraded to glorified babysitter in a dinky little studio?_

He pretended not to hear the obvious taunt dripping from Liu Hao's mouth.

"It's nice. Thanks for asking."

That clearly wasn't the answer that Liu Hao was looking for. The blonde dancer turned and stalked closer to him.

"Ye Qiu. How's your stage fright?" Liu Hao asked in a low tone. "Did you know? There are even more rumors about you leaving than when you were performing."

Ye Xiu blinked slowly and tried to keep his breath steady, but he could feel the familiar pressure building up in his chest.

 _Poor thing, he's nervous._

 _Pathetic. Why put out a dancer like him if he can't even dance properly?_

 _I don't want to hear your excuses. You disappoint me._

 _No son of mine-!_

"I saw the group performance the other day," Ye Xiu abruptly changed the subject.

Liu Hao paused mid-step. His eyes narrowed into slits.

"And what did the esteemed Ye Qiu think of it?"

"It wasn't bad," he commented, the honest words helplessly slipping out of his lips like water. "But you guys need to work on your synchronicity. If you can't be bothered to watch each other for timing, you should at least be keeping time to the music."

The look that came upon Liu Hao's face was so familiar it was almost comforting.

 _Attention! The producer briskly stepped over the dancers doing splits on the floor and weaved around others stretching at the barre. I have the assignments for next month's show._

 _The producer waved around the paper in his hands waiting for the company to gather around him. With a brief nod, he began to read off the page._

 _Opening act, Ye Qiu, self-choreographed solo. Second piece, large group, everyone except those in the third or fourth piece. Third, small group, Fang Fengran, Ceng Shenghe, and Guo Yang. Fourth, small group, Ye Qiu, Su Mucheng, Liu Hao, Shen Jian, He Ming, and Zhang Jiaxing, choreography by Ye Qiu..._

 _From his place in the back of the crowd, Liu Hao's face had became darker and darker with an ugly twisted expression as each successive piece was announced._

 _Final act, self-choreographed duet, Su Mucheng and Ye Qiu. Everyone, please work hard with the choreographers and your groups. That will be all._

 _He had tried to appease him._

 _Liu Hao, let's work hard this show._

 _Liu Hao's eyes flashed and he had smiled with gritted teeth. Yes, of course._

Liu Hao all but growled in contempt.

"Ye Qiu, you'd better watch what you say," Liu Hao hissed. "What would happen if your precious students found out just how pathetic you are? Do you think they'd really want someone like you teaching them?"

Ye Xiu felt his knees wobble a bit. The door leading to the hallway squeaked open. A crowd of small girls in pink leotards and tights had gathered around the entrance to the lobby. They were whispering in hushed tones to one another.

The crowd melded into one incoherent blob of staring eyes.

 _Teacher can't dance on stage?_

 _I don't want to learn from Teacher Ye anymore!_

 _Ye Xiu, we're giving your teaching position to someone else. You can apply again next year._

The room started to rock gently side to side, as if he were on a boat. He became aware of his own heavy breaths.

 _No... I don't want-!_

Crash! Without warning, a flying object suddenly shot past, narrowly missing Liu Hao's legs as he dodged with an indignant squawk.

"Don't bully Teacher!" squeaked a childish little voice.

The room snapped back into focus.

"Lanlan!"

"Eep!" The offending child hid herself within the crowd of curious onlookers.

He rested his hands on his hips and put on his best disappointed teacher face. "What did we tell you about throwing your tap shoes?"

"Don't throw them or you'll damage the taps," the class chorused back.

"That's right. Now go pick it up and apologize properly, okay?"

Little Lanlan reluctantly picked her way out of the throngs of small children and trudged her way over to the fallen shoe. She picked it up and cradled it in her tiny child arms.

"I'm sorry, tap shoe."

"..."

Ye Xiu brought the child to his side and awkwardly apologized to the blond dancer who was still gaping at the miniature sized tap shoe that had come close to giving him a nasty bruise.

"Uh, we're sorry about that. We're still working on, um, nonviolent problem-solving."

Liu Hao's fists clenched.

"You little-!"

"Liu Hao," Ye Xiu snapped, defensive anger suddenly flaring, "if you dare hit a child-!"

It was then that Tang Rou pushed herself out through the crowd, followed hesitantly by a timid Yifan.

"Uncle," she smiled politely.

Liu Hao's eye twitched almost comically. "Uncle?!"

"Uncle, may I ask, do you have a child that is enrolled here?"

Liu Hao spluttered. "No!"

"Then, are you looking to enroll in the adult classes?"

"No!"

"Then, we will have to ask you to leave. This studio doesn't allow perverts."

Liu Hao's cheeks flushed a shade of plum.

"P-perverts?!"

"Why else would you come here in the middle of the day but to ogle children, since you and Teacher Ye don't seem to be friends?"

The redhead then turned to the younger boy beside her. "Xiao Yifan, I'll teach you some moves later to defend against pedos," she declared.

The boy fidgeted uncomfortably from the tension in the air. "Um, what's a pedo?"

She patted his shoulder. "Don't worry about it. It means weird creeps, like this Uncle."

Ye Xiu hastily cut her off before she could incite the pro dancer any further.

"Sorry," he said, ushering his students back into the hallway. "I think you'd better leave."

Liu Hao pivoted around and stormed out wordlessly. Ye Xiu watched him leave. He hoped that he wouldn't have to see him again.

With one last look to the company across the street, he grabbed his own tap shoes from atop one of the cubbies, and hustled the kids back into the studio for the rest of their lessons.

As he shoved his feet into his shoes, trying to forget the altercation and focus on teaching, he caught Tang Rou whispering something into little Lanlan's ear.

"Next time, aim a little higher."

...He would pretend he didn't hear that.

 _After all, if they hadn't been here... would I be able to look at them the same way?_

* * *

Chen Guo found him near the end of the day when he was off-duty and packing up to head back to the apartment. Yifan and Tang Rou had already headed home to rest and work on schoolwork, so it was just him who needed to head back.

"Ye Xiu! Are you alright?! I got a text from Tang Rou about some 'big-nosed blond guy harassing Ye Xiu.' I scolded Xiao Li for leaving while on duty, but she said she got a call from her child's school and had to go pick him up."

Ye Xiu had long since composed himself after Liu Hao's earlier visit, having kept busy with teaching and coaching Yifan and Tang Rou through their exercises. But now that work was over, he felt more frazzled and drained than usual.

He paused in his packing and ran a tongue over his dry lips.

"Yeah, we're okay."

Chen Guo went to nervously straighten some things on the desk.

"Is it okay if I ask... who it was?"

He shrugged. "Just Liu Hao."

"Excellent Era's Liu Hao?"

"Yeah, that guy."

Chen Guo fidgeted with the stapler. "And you're sure you're really okay?"

He sighed a bit and slid his arms into his winter coat. "Yes, I'm really fine."

"Ye Xiu." Her serious tone made him look up from his zipper. "If he comes again, you should call me. I don't know what happened at Excellent Era, but... you shouldn't have to deal with it by yourself."

Ye Xiu's chest tightened. He fiddled with the zipper. "...Thank you, Boss."

She sighed and walked up to him, helping to hoist his dance bag onto his shoulder.

"This is... also probably not the best time to bring this up, but... there are two more things you should know." She fussed with his scarf, pulling it up over his cheeks and tucking the tails into his jacket. "First is that, All-Stars is coming up next month. Usually we bring a few of the older students to participate in the workshops and compete, but since there's still time to register, maybe you would like to bring Xiao Tang and Xiao Yifan?"

All-Stars... as a well-known contemporary dancer and choreographer, he was often invited to come to various regional youth dance conventions all around the country to teach a workshop or be a guest judge in the competition room. Since All-Stars had a regional competition in City H around this time, he usually went along with Su Mucheng, who had also never failed to receive an invitation. It didn't need to be said that he wouldn't accept any invitations to teach in front of all of those people, but he was more than happy to sit under the cover of darkness in the competition room and make comments on the burgeoning young talents.

Dance conventions were the prime gathering spot for young dancers hoping to break into the industry. He had met many a dancer who had gone on to join famous companies during his own comp career. It would be a good place for those two to gain more exposure, both through participating in masterclasses and from watching other dancers. Perhaps Yifan would even like to compete. He could definitely whip up some choreography in short order.

He nodded to Chen Guo. "I'll ask them."

"Ah, good," she replied. She busied herself by tugging his cap down over his ears. "The second thing is, at the end of the school year, we have an end-of-year recital. Usually the teachers who teach the younger students will dance alongside them, and then all the teachers participate in a short showcase dance, but in regards to your situation... well, there's still time to decide. But that's something you should think about. What you want to do for the recital and," she took a breath, "what you want to do after the year is up. As much as I would like to, I can't keep you here forever."

Ye Xiu stood silently in front of the door. She watched him, saw the thoughts flickering behind his eyes.

"You don't have to decide right now. There's still plenty of time."

His hand lingered on the door handle. "...I'll think about it. Thanks. See you tomorrow."

With Ye Xiu preparing to head out into the cold night, Chen Guo was reminded again of the first night he had come.

Unlike that time, he was no longer alone. He had a warm apartment to stay in, a job that he loved, students that adored him, friends looking out for him, and he had Chen Guo willing to support him in any way that she could.

She hoped to god that Ye Xiu knew that.

* * *

Yifan searched for any sign of the previous day's events on his coach's face when they shared breakfast the next morning.

That blond guy, he was Liu Hao, right? They had seen him dance when they had gone to see Su Mucheng the other night.

Ye Xiu had looked deeply uncomfortable standing next to him. At one point, his skin had gotten so pale that Yifan had been afraid that he might pass out. Was Liu Hao one of the people in Excellent Era that had tried to push him out?

Thinking about if he were in that situation, with a confrontation between himself and the other trainees at Tiny Herb, he felt like he could throw up. That was one of the reasons why he had stopped going to class even though he loved ballet. If- if one of them had followed him here, to Happy, this _safe place_ , it could- it would- no, he didn't even want to think about it.

But it had happened to Ye Xiu.

He couldn't find any signs of unease lingering in Ye Xiu's face. But that didn't mean that he wasn't hiding feelings of hurt, of loneliness, of helplessness, of fear.

After a while, you just got so good at faking in front of others that you could almost believe it yourself. It was a lie that became truth, you convinced yourself, until you cracked from the pressure and the walls you built up so, so carefully came crashing down.

"Is there something on my face?" The dancer asked with an amused lilt, in between bites of his peanut butter toast.

Yifan hurriedly looked away, shoveling a bite of his omelet into his mouth. "There's nothing," he said once he'd swallowed. "Nothing at all."

Ye Xiu reached across the table, tenderly petting down a stray bed hair. He then flicked Yifan on the forehead.

"Ow..." he complained. He rubbed the sore spot between his eyes with a betrayed expression.

"You don't have to worry about me," he chided. "Look, aren't I just fine now? Kids like you have their own problems they should be worrying about."

"But-"

Ye Xiu booped him on the nose, effectively silencing him. "There's something I wanted to ask you and Tang Rou. Would you like to go to All-Stars, the dance convention next month? It's a three day convention, with guest performances, dance workshops, and a competition portion."

Yifan blinked with a moment of realization. Dance convention? Next month?

"My dad will be there!" He said breathlessly. "He's gonna bring Yingjie too!"

Ye Xiu hummed. "Wang Jiexi will be there, huh?"

Yifan bobbed his head enthusiastically. "En!"

Ye Xiu drummed his fingers on the table, looking like he was deciding on something.

"In that case, would you like to perform a contemporary solo in the competition?" he asked. "It would be a good chance for you to put together some of the things you've learned and show your family what you've been doing."

Show... his family? Yifan's gaze dropped to his plate as pushed around some stray eggs with his chopsticks. "Um, I'm not so sure..."

 _What would dad say? What would Yingjie say? I'm not even that good at contemporary anyway! How could I perform like that?_

Ye Xiu waited until Yifan lifted his chin hesitantly. Their eyes locked and Yifan froze at the piercing stare that seemed to see right through him.

"I think you should do it. It would be one thing if you were Tang Rou, her technique is not quite there yet. But I know you have the capability, and this is something that I as your coach believe would help you grow."

Ye Xiu stood from his seat and began to clear the empty breakfast dishes from the table.

"I won't force you. It's entirely up to you," he said, reaching over and piling Yifan's plate on top. "But you want to stand on that stage and show everyone your dance, don't you?"

He smiled and ruffled Yifan's hair. "You're a dancer under the tutelage of Best Male Dancer Ye Qiu. So have a bit of courage."

Ye Xiu washed the dishes while Yifan packed up his tablet, notebooks, dance shoes, water bottle, and lunch into his bag. They bundled up in their winter gear before heading out together, walking Yifan to the library before Ye Xiu headed over to the studios for morning classes.

 _There's only a month left. Can I really compete like that?_

He strode a half step behind Ye Xiu, still lost in his thoughts.

When they stopped at an intersection, Yifan studied the dancer's face.

Like earlier in the morning, there was no sign of worry or hesitation. He wasn't pressuring Yifan with nervousness or overbearance. He exuded only a sort of dignified confidence. Was that confidence in him? That he could rise to the challenge?

He asked it quietly, his voice almost drowned out by the busy traffic as they waited for the crossing light. "Do you really think I can do it?"

Ye Xiu answered as if he could hear every whisper echoing in his heart.

"It will be a lot of work to get it performance-ready in time, but I have faith in you, Yifan."

Ye Xiu was looking forward across the street waiting for the light to change. But it seemed almost as if in his gaze, he could see a distant and hazy future. One in which he could dance on a stage with no restrictions. He reached out hesitantly to grab Ye Xiu's hand.

Ye Xiu's hand jerked a little in surprise, but then his hand tightened around his with a gentle squeeze.

"I'll do it. I'll compete."

A cloud passed in the sky, bringing the morning light to Ye Xiu's smiling face. "I'll start choreographing. Be ready when you come in today."

Ye Xiu had faith in him. So he would use that borrowed bit of courage to step out onto that stage.

 _I'm sorry Dad, Yingjie. I really want to dance._

* * *

/AN: no embedded song here, but the anthem for this chapter is Born to Be Yours by Imagine Dragons and Kygo because if I were to put an anime-style training montage here, I would use this song.


	11. Lost Boy

The convention center was big. Really big. The main hallway was grand, as wide as a full stage, and sunlight streamed in from the massive floor length windows. Ye Xiu had informed him that this convention center was set up with three floors. The first floor had three different competition rooms, each with a stage set up, a judges table in the front, and audience seating. The second floor had many large ballrooms where all the workshops would take place, while the third floor would be mostly used as dressing rooms.

Staffers near the entrance were selling merch for the convention: t-shirts, sweats, hats, stickers, and promotional posters all with the words All-Stars! Regional Dance Convention emblazoned across the front. It looked like several of the posters were for famous dancers who would be guest teachers and performers during the three day event. Yifan vaguely wondered if he would find a poster of his father among them.

Everywhere he could see, there were dancers. Many who were taller and older, but also many who seemed to be even younger than he was. Some were already stretching in the middle of the hallway, some were sitting by the walls eating a light breakfast, and some were decked out in full makeup and sparkly costumes, practicing their routines for competition. As he wandered in at the back of the group of students from Happy, he could feel the buzz of excitement and nerves coming from all around him.

Tang Rou was similarly marveling at all the dancers in the hallway. "So many..." he overheard her murmur. With the pace of her quick learning, it was easy to forget that she didn't know just how huge the dance world was.

"Hey, don't get lost, you two."

Ye Xiu had come up behind them, nudging them to pay attention to where they were headed. Oops, it seemed that the rest of the kids from Happy had moved on further ahead while they were busy taking in the sights.

He gave Ye Xiu a sheepish smile and tugged at Tang Rou so they could catch up.

Chen Guo led the group to their assigned dressing room. As everyone claimed their spots, throwing down their dance bags and stripping off their outwear to reveal their dance clothes, she clapped her hands together to address the group.

"Alright, I know you kids all probably want to go off to your different warm-ups and workshops, but first, some announcements. Don't leave the convention center, and try to stick with at least one other person you know. Meet back up here for lunch, we'll all eat together. Be on your best behavior, because when you're here, you're representing our studio. Finally," she broke out with a wide grin, "go out there and enjoy yourselves! All-Stars is only once a year, after all. We're all here to learn and have fun, yeah?"

Everyone cheered.

"Okay, keep all that in mind. Don't forget, meet back here for lunch!" She called out after the students who were already rushing out the door wanting to explore and attend the morning warm-ups.

Yifan set down his duffel bag in the corner. He had packed all of his dance shoes, including the tap and jazz shoes that Ye Xiu had gifted him during his first week at Happy. They were heavy, but not as heavy as the guilt weighing leaden in his stomach. He tried pushing it out of his mind for now. He still had to attend two morning workshops after all.

Tang Rou waited for him to pull on his ballet slippers before offering out her hand to help him up from the ground. "Yifan, since we're in different categories, will tell me about your workshops during lunch?"

Tang Rou was older, so she was listed in the Teen category along with a few of the other girls from Happy. The majority of the group were high schoolers, in the Senior category. He was the only boy, and the only one in the Juniors section.

He took her hand and pulled himself off the ground. "I will if you will."

Ye Xiu ambled up to them, shaking his head. "So serious, even this early in the morning," he tutted. "Yifan, you said your dad and brother are meeting you here?"

Yifan nodded.

"Alright, then I'm going to go ahead with Xiao Tang to observe her warm-up and workshops. I'll meet you here after the first afternoon workshop, sound good?"

"Yes, coach," he responded quietly.

Ye Xiu steadied his shoulder. His hold was warm and comforting, a silent encouragement. "Yifan, don't be nervous. Remember, have faith."

With that last reminder, Ye Xiu and Tang Rou left to go attend the Teen warm-ups.

He took a breath. Have faith. He had practiced hours on end in preparation for today.

Ye Xiu, Can you... not tell my dad that I'm performing in the competition?

 _He had confessed during breakfast one morning not long after he started learning his solo._

 _Ye Xiu had stopped chewing for a second. He swallowed before speaking again._

 _Is there a reason?_

 _I'm just... not comfortable, I guess. I haven't told my brother or dad yet. That I'm learning contemporary._

 _Oh, Yifan, the dancer had sighed. They're your family._

 _He shrunk a bit in his seat. As expected, Ye Xiu was disappointed in him._

 _Alright._

 _He had straightened up in surprise. Ye Xiu had said 'Alright'?_

 _You should be the one to tell them. And you can tell them when you're ready. I can help you, if you like. But... it must have been hard, keeping this locked up in your heart. Thank you for telling me, Yifan._

"Yifan!" He was snapped out of his reflections by a painfully familiar voice.

"Yingjie!" He rushed to the door to greet his brother and father. Wrapped up in their fierce bear-hugs, he could almost forget the guilt.

 _I'll tell you soon, so forgive me for lying._

* * *

Tang Rou felt the high of anticipation since her first workshop was a contemporary workshop. How much had she improved since starting dancing? What kinds of new steps would she learn? Her rival was still one step ahead of her, judged by Ye Xiu as having the technical skill to enter the competition. She wanted to be in that position soon too.

The convention had heavily advertized the workshop with this first guest teacher. He was the choreographer from a youth dance company that had gained renown through being featured in a reality TV show. The show featured teens and pre-teens competing in dance competitions all around the country, winning the hearts of judges and audiences alike.

"Look, look, look! It's Du Ming and Zhou Zekai! That's the Elite Team from Dance Samsara!" The other girls from Happy were squealing and pointing at two young dancers in the front of the room near the low stage where the guest teacher would be teaching.

Tang Rou wasn't too impressed. They were kind of good looking, she supposed, but she didn't see why the other girls were so ecstatic. She had never been one to watch much television, much preferring doing to sitting and watching. Besides, she didn't need to idolize these teen dancers, not when her goal was right in front of her.

The kids began to quiet down as the man dressed in a gray sleeveless tank and black athletic shorts appeared on the stage. He tapped on his microphone before speaking into it. "Hello, dancers! I'm Jiang Botao, the choreographer behind the Elite Team routines on the show Born to Dance. If you're not here for the Teen Contemporary workshop, you're in the wrong place! I'll be teaching you guys a short combo today, so spread out and we'll get right to it!"

Tang Rou easily found a place by the side of the room. It seemed that many of the dancers had hesitated by the front center wanting to stand next to the kids from the Elite Team and had missed their chance to claim a good spot in the other areas.

"Don't crowd too much!" said one of the boys at the front. He grinned and ran a hand through his short dark hair. "We'll be around all weekend competing and attending workshops. We're happy to sign autographs after the workshop!"

"Du Ming, you're amazing! Zhou Zekai, we love you!" A girl in the back squealed loudly from across the room.

The boy, Du Ming apparently, winked in her direction and lifted a finger to his lips. "Please respect our teacher right now and keep from shouting. I promise he's amazing. You'll want to listen to his every word."

He returned his attention to the front where student next to him- Zhou Zekai, from the whispers- merely elbowed him with a quiet, "Show-off."

Jiang Botao looked amused at his students' antics. "Alright, settle down. Since everyone's already warm, let's get to work."

Ye Xiu watched the workshop passively from the observer seating in the back of the room. He had always known that Jiang Botao was a good choreographer from seeing his numbers in the competition room, but this was his first time seeing how the other man taught. He seemed to be a laid-back, eternally patient kind of teacher, especially in these kinds of workshops in which there could be a wide range of experience and skill, but he knew that Jiang Botao had high expectations of his students.

Even when Jiang Botao called out some general corrections addressing the crowd as a whole, the two students from his studio still would pay attention.

"Hold your core, and don't forget that supporting leg."

They were but minor corrections, but Zhou Zekai and Du Ming both carefully adjusted their positions in accordance to their choreographer's words.

It's a reciprocal relationship. The amount he invests in them is the amount he receives in their dancing.

Announcing that he had finished teaching the choreography, Jiang Botao broke the students into four roughly equal groups to take turns performing with more space. The students who performed exceptionally well would be tapped to perform on the stage with him.

Du Ming lingered at the edge of the group as he watched the first and then the second group go. Normally, his gaze would skip right over the amateur dancers. After years of dancing in high-level competitions around the country, Du Ming could tell who was a born-and-bred comp kid, and who was a recreational dancer from just a few glances. Recreational dancers, with their sloppy technique and inability to handle the commitment and realities of being a competition dancer just weren't worth his attention.

But unusually, his gaze kept falling on the same girl. She clearly was not a competition-level dancer. She probably even would have been suited to dropping a level and taking a Junior's level workshop. But there was something about her, a fire in her eyes and in her movements, that made him keep noticing her. Of course, the fact that she was also kind of cute might be a factor in that.

He weaved his way through the crowd and found the girl coming off the floor as she finished her turn to watch the other groups.

He tapped her shoulder. "Hey, you. How long have you been dancing for?"

She turned to glare at him. Her short ponytail bounced on top of her head.

The world froze for a moment. Oh no. Her face was way cuter up close than at a distance.

"A few months now," she answered curtly.

This sister was pretty good for a beginner, huh? Perhaps she was so motivated because she was a fan of Born to Dance. Since he had started on the show, young fans had constantly been tripping over themselves trying to tell him how they had started dance because of him and his teammates.

Well, this award-winning future star wouldn't mind giving a few tips to a cute girl like her.

"You should try adjusting the routine to fit your skill level. Instead of going for a double pirouette, a clean single would be much better for you."

Her eyes narrowed. "Are you saying that I can't do it?"

"Look," he said, starting to become a bit irritated because of her tone, "you were falling out of your turns. Don't try it here if you don't have the capacity."

"I can do it," she insisted.

The girl's stubbornness detracted a bit from her appearance. Geez, you can fake it 'til you make it all you want in your own studio, but in a place like this where you were judged on your performance, there was merit in knowing your own limits. She would never be asked to perform on the stage at this rate.

"Okay, fine, you can do it if you believe hard enough. It's my turn to go now, watch me," he waved away her insistence dismissively and took his place on the floor.

With the heat of that girl's eyes on him, he felt his focus rise. His movements became sharper. He held his positions longer. His transitions were smoother. He couldn't mess up with her watching. At the part with the double turn, he spotted her face before fluidly moving into the next step.

 _Do you see now? This is the level of an elite._

Coming off the floor after the combo, he directly headed over to her.

"Do you get it now?"

Stubborn as a mule, she refused to look at him, instead staring straight ahead watching the last group take their places and begin the combo.

Du Ming was frustrated. He had the distinct feeling that he was talking at her instead of to her.

"Hey, listen to me." He grabbed her wrist. "The rest of your dance would be much better if you just-"

"Why should I listen to you? Let go." The girl struggled to snatch her wrist back, elbowing another student in the process and knocking them to the floor.

"Hey, what was that for?!" The girl on the ground snapped.

Another student chimed in. "Don't cause trouble for Du Ming! He's way better than you. Who do you think you are?"

Tang Rou stood firm. "He _grabbed_ me."

The commotion was quickly drawing attention to the two of them.

Chen Guo looked up from where she was looking at the convention schedule on her phone. "Eh? Isn't that our Xiao Tang?"

Ye Xiu broke from watching Jiang Botao lead the last group from the stage. "Huh?" He quickly saw that something was happening on the sidelines. He squinted. "It does look like her."

"How has that girl caused trouble already? It's only the first workshop! You have to go get her!"

Ye Xiu looked at her with an incredulous expression. "You want me to get her?"

"Of course, you!" Chen Guo almost smacked him with a rolled up flyer. "You're her teacher! She actually listens to you!"

His eyes darted at the sea of young adolescents. "I- there's so many... I can't get up there!"

Chen Guo pleaded with him. "You're fine if you don't have to dance, right? They're just kids. No one will even know it's you. Please," she begged, "If she gets kicked out now, she won't be able to attend any of workshops. We'll be known as the worst studio at the convention."

It was certainly a dire situation. Tang Rou would probably hate herself if she soured Happy's reputation at the convention, and she would certainly be kicking herself if she missed out on the rest of the workshops.

"...I'll try," he reluctantly pulled himself out of his chair.

"Hurry up," Chen Guo urged. "Before convention staff is called over."

By the time Ye Xiu made it to the front of the room, Jiang Botao had just about finished dancing with the last group of students. Noticing that it was one of his students embroiled in the conflict, he hopped off the stage.

They met up where the two at the center of attention were still bickering. Jiang Botao blinked upon seeing the other man and the brightly colored observer's bracelet around his wrist. Fellow male dance teachers were fairly rare to come by at conventions, and most preferred to participate in the teacher workshops rather than watch the kids. He looked kind of familiar somehow... was he a rival studio owner?

"You must be...?"

"Her teacher," he answered tilting his head toward Tang Rou.

"Ah. Let's go sort this out, Mr. ...?"

Ye Xiu didn't answer further, instead calling out, "Xiao Tang."

Jiang Botao followed suit. "Du Ming."

The crowd of students parted, providing a clear view of the guilty couple.

Realizing that their respective teachers were there, they stalked over, neither breaking eye contact, lightning flashing between them.

"He started it," snapped Tang Rou.

"She's really rude," Du Ming snapped back.

Ye Xiu blinked slowly at the mass of students who were eagerly hoping to see some tears shed. He casually shoved his hands into his pockets. "Xiao Tang, can you please calmly explain what happened?"

The girl crossed her arms. "First he insulted me and told me that I wasn't good enough to be here, and then he grabbed my wrist without permission. And everyone else believes he didn't do anything wrong, just because he's on TV."

Du Ming butted in. "Look, I was just trying to say that doing a clean single turn instead of a double would be way better for her. It doesn't matter whether she can get around twice or not if there's not a clean execution and transition. There's so many people here. If she keeps falling all over the place, her stubbornness could get someone hurt."

Ye Xiu closed his eyes and let out a soft breath. "Xiao Tang, he was just trying to help."

She scowled, side-eyeing the other teen. "I don't need _his_ help," she sniffed.

Jiang Botao helplessly sighed. He didn't doubt that his student had well-meaning intentions, but in a conflict with no resolution, he had no choice but to expel both parties from participating in the rest of the workshops. He had just opened his mouth to release the verdict when Ye Xiu cut him off.

"He could have said it better, but he has a valid point. If you concentrate solely on doing the tricks, then can you really say that you were engaging with everything that this workshop has to offer?" Ye Xiu paused, making a pointed glance at the other teacher, who passively nodded in agreement.

"One of the things you will have to learn as a dancer is how to take criticism from others and use it to improve yourself," he continued. "That's why coming to a dance convention and participating in these workshops is so valuable. You get to experience different styles of choreography and teaching, get different kinds of critiques, and see other dancers of all levels. There are many things you can learn from watching someone else, regardless of their skill. Remember what the boss said, right? We're all here to learn and have fun."

"I guess that's true..." Tang Rou seemed a little more remorseful now. "He still grabbed me though," she muttered.

"Apologize to the choreographer and the rest of the class, then we'll return to our seats for a while."

Her eyes widened in realization that their little conflict had caused a big interruption in the workshop. She immediately bowed her head in shame. "Teacher Jiang, everyone, my apologies for interrupting the workshop." She turned to the other teen, who still had his arms crossed. "Sorry, classmate Du, I guess I might have possibly acted rude."

Jiang Botao was internally breathing a sign of relief that the other teacher saved the situation, but he still raised an eyebrow at his young student. "You apologize too."

"But I didn't do anything wrong!" the teen protested.

"Do I ever grab you without permission when I'm giving corrections?"

"...No." he mumbled. Du Ming implicitly trusted his teacher with his body and soul, but Jiang Botao was still always careful to murmur a "May I?" before gently taking ahold of his body and nudging it into the correct position.

"Sorry for grabbing you," Du Ming turned to Tang Rou and grumbled out an sullen apology. "And sorry for causing a fuss."

Ye Xiu turned quickly, apparently satisfied with this resolution. "Then we'll take our leave first. Thank you for apologizing, you two." He took two steps away from the crowd before suddenly stopping, almost as if an afterthought. "And Xiao Du, I'm glad you've internalized that comment from two years ago. Keep working hard."

He continued on his way back to the observers section with Tang Rou, leaving behind the rest of the workshop.

"Okay, enough disruptions. Let's get back to it, starting from group one. This time I'll be watching to invite some of you to the stage," Jiang Botao retook control of the class, switching his microphone back on as he hopped back onto the stage.

Tang Rou peered regretfully over her shoulder as they resumed the workshop. She had really done this to herself, hadn't she? She returned her gaze to Ye Xiu's back and bit her lip, wondering if Ye Xiu was really, really disappointed in her.

Ye Xiu stayed silent as he pulled out a tightly clenched fist from his pocket. His long fingers trembled slightly as he slowly pulled them apart from his palm.

Her bottom lip slipped from her teeth. Oh.

 _Ye Xiu, you've worked hard too, haven't you?_

She suddenly surged ahead to face him, stopping him in his tracks. "Sorry again, Coach. I won't cause trouble from now on," she made it a silent vow in her heart.

Ye Xiu swallowed and the hint of a tired smile formed on his lips. "You better not, else you'll really be kicked out next time. Continue working hard and reflect on your actions. If you keep doing so just like that, in a year or two, you'll be one of the ones invited onto that stage."

Tang Rou accompanied him back to the observer seating, to Chen Guo's nervous welcome back. She sat primly on the edge of her chair while she watched the rest of the students dance.

 _Next year, I'll definitely be one of the ones on that stage._

* * *

Yifan and Yingjie were lucky enough that their first workshop of the day was their own father's workshop. Wang Jiexi was teaching several workshops over the first two days, with at least one for each of the four age groups. They were quick enough hurrying to the ballroom after warm-ups to grab spots next to each other near the front. Yingjie beamed at him as they stood side by side in first position waiting for their father's instruction.

Wang Jiexi's heart warmed with fatherly pride seeing them up and ready for class. It had been not too long ago when his sister had first signed them up for dance classes at the local studio, and he had watched them grow up from tiny toddlers who could barely point their feet into eager young dancers just beginning to realize their full potential. A heavy burden lifted from his shoulders knowing that Yifan had overcome his trauma to be able to dance again. Dancing was his joy, and it had broken his heart when he realized that the same dance that he loved had also hurt this precious child. This change in him, it could only have been because of Ye Xiu.

Taking class with his brother again, Yifan felt almost like he had regained a limb that he didn't know he lost. It wasn't at all unfamiliar or unwelcome, but there was this strange sense that the relationship between them had changed.

Watching his brother développé in à la seconde , he didn't feel quite so hopeless anymore. It didn't feel as though his skills had improved, no. But somehow Yifan felt more in control of himself, as if his whole body were lighter, more limber, easier to manipulate. Why was that? Almost contradictorily, he found himself more able to appreciate the preciseness and artistry of his brother's technique.

 _If only it could be like this all the time. Maybe then I would be brave enough..._

He squeezed his eyes shut momentarily as the butterflies in his stomach remembered his upcoming performance. The one he was hiding from his family.

 _Don't think about it right now. This is ballet. You love ballet. Focus._

He breathed out and pushed his shoulders down, relaxing into his position.

Yingjie was the happiest he'd been in months. In this room, though there were many more dancers than he had ever danced with before, the only one that mattered was there right there beside him. Things just weren't the same at Tiny Herb without his twin. Though his brother was quiet in the classroom, it knocked him off-kilter every time he looked behind him and realized that his older brother was not there. It had felt even more lonely than the time Yifan had stopped coming to class. At least during that time, he had been able to see his brother at home.

 _I've missed this so much... Yifan, I need you! Please come home soon!_

The morning workshops passed quickly and soon it was time for lunch. Wang Jiexi had to attend a mandatory workshop leaders networking lunch, so Yingjie came back with Yifan to Happy's dressing room where they met Tang Rou. Yingjie was a bit reserved toward her at first- he always had been a bit shy with strangers- but he opened up a bit when they had started talking dance, trading what they had learned that morning.

Yifan was happy that they were getting along, but he couldn't seem to find his appetite. He took a few more bites, hiding his nerves from his brother, before packing it up to finish later.

By the end of the first afternoon workshop, Yifan was losing focus. Each minute that passed was simultaneously too long and not long enough. As the workshop leader, a musical theater teacher, finally wrapped up and dismissed the students, Yifan awkwardly hung by his brother's side. He needed to go meet up with Ye Xiu to head to the competition room.

"Um, Yingjie... I... forgot I promised some of the other kids at Happy that I would watch them practice routines and scout out the competition. Umm.. but!," he stammered, "you must want to go to the next workshop, right? So is it okay if I leave you for a bit?"

Yingjie wiped some sweat off his brow and slicked back an errant curl from his forehead. "Maybe I'll just watch for a bit then. I don't feel like participating if you're not gonna be there."

"Okay, can I meet you back at the dressing room after the last workshop then?"

They agreed to meet up later, and Yifan ran up the stairs, his nerves squeezing tighter around his throat with every step.

After changing into his costume, a pair of stretchy brown suspender shorts over a white button up T-shirt, Ye Xiu and Tang Rou escorted him to the backstage area of Competition Room C.

"I'll be watching from the audience," Ye Xiu reassured him before leaving to go find a seat. "You're brave, Yifan. I know you are."

Tang Rou decided to stay and watch from the wings. "I want to be the first to congratulate my rival," she insisted. "Yifan, jiayou!" she whispered watching him climb up the stairs to the elevated stage.

Now alone with his thoughts, Yifan could feel his chest shaking with each breath, feeling more and more nervous as his turn got closer and closer. What he really wanted right now was for his twin to be here squeezing his hand. He swallowed hard, but could not dislodge the knot in his throat.

The soloist on the stage was bowing. The announcer was calling his name. It was his turn to go on.

He took a shaky step into the light. And with one step, he took another. And another.

Have a bit of courage.

There were no spotlights or backlights on the competition stage. And yet, the light was still blinding. He was already sweating. He blinked and suddenly he had already reached the center. The audience was hushed and dark, but he could see the low-lit judges table from where he set himself in position on the floor.

He felt his heart pound in his chest. Ye Xiu was in the audience. Ye Xiu believed in him, even when he didn't believe in himself. He would get first place for Ye Xiu.

He used the opening notes to take one last deep breath. Perfection. He needed perfection.

 _ **There was a time, when I was alone**_

 _ **Nowhere to go and no place to call home**_

 _ **My only friend was the man in the moon**_

 _ **And even sometimes he would go away, too**_

Breathe and, contract and, shoulder roll and, up and. He had gone over this opening count of eight in his head a hundred times, and in the studio, a hundred times more. It had been a month of practicing until he was so exhausted that he could barely stand.

But now this was the moment he'd been working toward. He was here, on this stage, in front of the judges, in front of Ye Xiu. All the corrections he had gotten thus far echoed in his head.

Really stretch your whole body here, Xiao Yifan. Listen, use your whole music.

 _ **Then one night, as I closed my eyes**_

 _ **I saw a shadow flying high**_

 _ **He came to me with the sweetest smile**_

 _ **Told me he wanted to talk for awhile**_

 _ **He said, "Peter Pan, that's what they call me**_

 _ **I promise that you'll never be lonely,"**_

 _ **and ever since that day**_

Let your elbows lead you through, and hit!, two, three, four.

He controlled his arms to hit the next accent. Perfect timing. Perfect technique. He wanted to do his best for this person who had told him that he had potential. That he was worth teaching.

 _Ye Xiu, I will repay you for the faith you've invested in me._

 _ **I am a lost boy from Neverland**_

 _ **Usually hanging out with Peter Pan**_

 _ **And when we're bored we play in the woods**_

 _ **Always on the run from Captain Hook**_

 _ **"Run, run, lost boy, " they say to me**_

 _ **Away from all of reality**_

 _ **Neverland is home to lost boys like me**_

 _ **And lost boys like me are free**_

He brushed out a flexed foot in parallel with a bent supporting leg. This movement had felt so wrong at first. Since contemporary didn't even have proper positions, let alone proper names, it had been incredibly hard to get used to. His ballet-trained body had screamed at him to Straighten! Turn out! Point! He had spent hours studying his videos and adjusting himself in front of the mirror to figure out precisely how to place his body in the right position.

He was so focused that he didn't even realize how the song was coming to an end until the last chorus was being played.

 _ **And for always I will say...**_

 _How can it be almost over already?_

 _Just a little longer. I want to be on stage just a little longer._

He threw himself into the choreography trying to soak up his last few seconds in the light.

 _ **I am a lost boy from Neverland**_

 _ **Usually hanging out with Peter Pan**_

 _ **And when we're bored we play in the woods**_

 _ **Always on the run from Captain Hook**_

 _ **"Run, run, lost boy, " they say to me**_

 _ **Away from all of reality**_

Releasing his head, he felt its weight give him momentum as he circled around himself, ending up back on the floor mirroring his starting position.

 _ **Neverland is home to lost boys like me**_

 _ **And lost boys like me are free**_

 _ **Neverland is home to lost boys like me**_

 _ **And lost boys like me are free**_

With a final head roll, he lifted his chin as if gazing toward the stars.

And that was it. It was done. The audience was clapping. The judges were scoring his routine. He stood and bowed his head curtly before exiting through the wings in a daze.

 _Two and a half minutes._

Two and a half minutes of choreography. Two and a half minutes of being on the stage.

It had gone by too fast.

 _Ye Xiu, will this be enough?_

* * *

/AN: Wow this has been up for almost a month oops. Song this time is Lost Boy by Ruth B. I love the idea of Yifan as a lost boy and finding Happy as his home.


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